Health care disparities between rural and non-rural areas of the United States are well documented by health services researchers.*
- Death rates for children and young adults are highest in rural counties.
- A greater proportion of rural compared to urban mothers were teenagers or in their 20s when giving birth.
- Rural residents have higher rates of chronic disease.
- A higher proportion of the elderly in rural counties than in metropolitan counties rate their health as "poor" or "fair."
- In general, elders living in rural counties rely more heavily on the Medicare and Medicaid programs and are less likely to have supplemental, private insurance coverage than those living in metropolitan areas.
As part of its commitment to improving health care for all Americans, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has invested in several initiatives to improve access to health care in rural areas of the country.
This report highlights some of these efforts and provides some resulting lessons.
* Ricketts TC III, Rural Health in the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. See also Program Results on ID# 032659 for analysis of the rural health care system.