RUPRI Rural Health Panel

214 Middlebush Hall

University of Missouri – Columbia

Columbia, MO 65211

(573) 882-0316 phone / (573) 884-5310 fax

www.rupri.org/ruralhealth / keith-mueller@uiowa.edu

The Current and Future Role and Impact

of Medicaid in Rural Health

Prepared by the

RUPRI Health Panel

Keith J. Mueller, PhD, Chair

Andrew F. Coburn, PhD

Jennifer P. Lundblad, PhD, MBA

A. Clinton MacKinney, MD, MS

Timothy D. McBride, PhD

Sidney D. Watson, JD

September 2012
This report was funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, Health 

Resources and Services Administration, US Department of Health and Human 

Services.
Table of Contents

Overview...................................................................................................................................................................1

The Current Medicaid Program .....................................................................................................................1

Medicaid: An Important Source of Insurance Coverage in Rural America ...............................2

Medicaid’s Financial Support for Providers in Rural Areas .............................................................3

Medicaid’s Contribution to Local Economies..........................................................................................4

Impending Decisions and Their Impact on Medicaid in the Future.............................................4

Appendix...................................................................................................................................................................5
1

Overview

Medicaid is the nation’s largest public insurance program and is a crucial source of health 

insurance coverage and provider payments for rural people, providers, and communities. The 

program fills gaps in health insurance coverage for rural people, particularly low-income 

families and children, and elderly and disabled Medicare beneficiaries. For example, in 2010, 

over 42% of low-income rural children relied on the Medicaid and the Children’s Health 

Insurance Program (CHIP) as their source of coverage.1 The Medicaid program is also a critical 

source of health care financing for the rural health system, including hospitals, doctors, and 

providers of long-term services and supports, and contributes significantly to local, rural 

economies by supporting health care and related employment. 

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, (ACA) the importance of 

Medicaid in the rural health system will grow significantly. Expanding Medicaid eligibility is a 

key element of the ACA’s strategy for achieving near-universal coverage, with over half of the 

expected gains in health insurance coverage coming from the Medicaid expansion. In addition, 

significant Medicaid financing and delivery system reform initiatives, including the Health 

Homes, Dual Eligible Coordinated Care, and other demonstrations, could have significant 

implications for rural providers and the rural health system. 

This brief outlines and describes the current Medicaid program and its importance to rural 

America. It also discusses rural implications of program expansion, including whether and how 

states choose to implement changes. 

The Current Medicaid Program

The federal government and the states share the cost of the Medicaid program. States design 

their Medicaid programs within federally defined boundaries relating to eligibility, benefits, and 

administration. While federal law specifies certain categories of eligibility and benefits of 

mandatory coverage, well over half of Medicaid spending is for optional services and 

populations selected by the states.2 States may also obtain waivers from the US Department of 

Health and Human Services to expand eligibility and coverage beyond that authorized by 

federal Medicaid law. 

On average, states spend about 17% of their general funds on Medicaid, making it the second 

largest item in states’ budgets.3 Overall, though, the federal government pays more than half 

the costs for Medicaid, about 57%;

4 poorer states receive a higher federal match (the Federal 

Medical Assistance Percentage, FMAP, is calculated based on state per capita income relative to 

US per capita income). 

Historically, Medicaid has covered fewer than half of low-income Americans. People in poverty 

must also fit within federally prescribed categories of eligibility, which, absent a federal waiver, 

limit Medicaid eligibility to those who are children, parents or caretaker relatives, permanently 
2

and totally disabled, or elderly. One of the most sweeping changes in the ACA is a provision, 

effective 2014, which will extend Medicaid eligibility to all individuals and non-elderly adults 

with incomes up to 138% (includes a 5% income disregard) of the federal poverty line ($23,050 

for a family of four in 2012).5 If fully implemented, this provision will provide new insurance 

coverage through Medicaid to approximately 17 million uninsured Americans including 3.7 

million rural persons.6 

Medicaid: An Important Source of Insurance Coverage in Rural America

Medicaid is a crucial safety net program for rural people (Figure 1), serving three critical roles. 

First, it is a health insurance program for low-income households, including workers and their 

children who do not have access to private insurance. The percentage of persons in poverty 

was higher in 2011 outside of metropolitan areas (17.0%) as compared to metropolitan areas 

(14.6%).7 Rural workers have 

less access to employersponsored insurance: rural 

employers are less likely to offer 

health insurance, and rates of 

employer-sponsored insurance 

are lower in rural areas, 51.1%

as compared to 56.1% in urban 

areas.8 As a consequence, rates 

of uninsurance have been 

historically higher in rural than 

in urban areas, especially in 

smaller, more remote rural 

areas.9 However, the expansion 

of coverage for children under 

Medicaid and the Children’s

Health Insurance Program has 

narrowed differences in ruralurban coverage.10

Second, Medicaid helps fill gaps 

in Medicare for low-income 

elderly and disabled people, 

covering one in six Medicare 

recipients (the so-called “dual 

eligibles”).9 Rates of disability 

are 80% higher in rural areas—

almost 8% of rural residents 

receive Social Security benefits 

compared to just over 4% of 

Figure 1. The Rural Impact of Medicaid

Medicaid is currently a crucial safety net program for rural persons:

 The program is a critical source of insurance coverage, with 

18% of rural persons enrolled in Medicaid in 2010 compared 

to 15.5% of urban persons.

8

 CHIP has dramatically improved insurance coverage rates and 

stabilized coverage for rural children. 

o Before CHIP, stability of public coverage among lowincome children did not differ by rural vs. urban 

residence. After CHIP was implemented, those in 

rural areas were 18% less likely than their urban 

counterparts to become uninsured.11

o In 1996-1997, 19% of rural children were uninsured 

compared to 16% of urban children. By 2003-2007, 

the rates were 12% for rural children and 14% for 

urban children.

11

o During 2003-2007, 37% of rural children received

CHIP/Medicaid benefits compared to only 27% of 

urban children. As of 2009, 40% of rural children 

were covered by CHIP/Medicaid, compared to 32% 

of urban children.12

 A recent study indicates a reduction in mortality rates in 

states that have expanded Medicaid.13

 As the single largest source of payment for long-term services 

and supports, Medicaid provides essential access to these 

services for the rural disabled and elders. While rural 

residents make up approximately a quarter of the Medicare 

population, 31% of Medicare’s dual-eligible population lives in 

rural America.14
3

urban residents,15 meaning that more rural residents must rely on public rather than private 

insurance.

Finally, Medicaid is the nation’s major source of payment for long-term care, covering 7 of 10 

nursing home residents.16 It is estimated that the number of rural elderly is expected to grow 

from 7.26 million in 2012 to 11.11 million by 2029.17

Medicaid’s Financial Support for Providers in Rural America

Because Medicaid covers so many rural residents, it is an essential source of financial support for 

rural providers. Without Medicaid, many rural providers would be faced with trying to serve 

communities in which the number of charity care patients outnumbered those with insurance, a 

financially impossible scenario that would further weaken the rural health care delivery system and 

lead to a further loss of rural 

providers. Almost one-third of 

rural physicians derive 25% or 

more of their patient revenues 

from Medicaid, compared to 

only 19.9% in urban areas.18 For 

rural hospitals, 14% of the gross 

revenues in 2009 came from 

Medicaid19 (Figure 2).

Medicaid is the largest single 

payer for long-term services and 

support, (LTSS) including 

institutional services (i.e. skilled 

and intermediate care facility 

services), residential care, and 

home care (e.g. home health 

and home and community-based services). With rural areas disproportionately affected by the 

growth of the elder population (more than 15% of rural residents are older than age 65 compared 

to about 13% of the US population as a whole),22 the availability and accessibility of LTSS in rural 

areas is largely dependent on Medicaid policy. 

In addition, Medicaid is a critical source of financial support for rural primary care providers who 

are the primary source of mental health care in many rural communities. State Medicaid programs 

cover mental health services that are often not available under other sources of health insurance. 

Without the Medicaid program as a major source of financing, the problems of mental health 

service availability and accessibility in rural America would be even more acute. Community mental 

health centers serving rural populations have become more reliant on Medicaid financing as 

federal block grant funding has declined.23

Figure 2. The Importance of Medicaid Today to Rural Providers

In part because of the higher rates of coverage of rural persons, 

Medicaid is a particularly important source of payment for rural 

providers:

 Almost one-third of rural physicians derive 25% or more of 

their patient revenues from Medicaid, as compared to 19.9% in 

urban areas.18

 Physicians in rural areas are more likely to serve Medicaid 

beneficiaries than are their urban counterparts.

 Medicaid financed 40% of the $177.6 billion spent nationally 

on long-term care in 2010.20

 Medicaid is the primary source of funding for publicly provided 

mental health services, financing nearly half of the provided 

mental health services in rural areas.21
4

Medicaid’s Contribution to Local Economies

Although Medicaid’s benefits to rural people and providers are clear, the program’s 

contribution to rural communities is often overlooked (Figure 3). From an economic point of 

view, federal Medicaid matching dollars that flow into state economies generate economic 

activity. A report by the Kaiser 

Commission on Medicaid and the 

Uninsured found, based on 29 

studies in 23 states, that 

Medicaid spending generates 

jobs, income, and state tax 

revenues. They found these 

specific examples of economic 

impacts:

 In Oklahoma in fiscal year 

2006, business spending 

of $8 billion and 99,036 

jobs

 In Missouri in 2004, $5.82 

billion in economic 

activity and 79,892 jobs24

Impending Decisions and Their Impact on Medicaid in the Future

The future impact of Medicaid will be a function of policy decisions that are made at both the 

federal and state level, as well as future demographic shifts facing rural America. Federal 

policymakers will be making key decisions about the FMAP, minimum benefit requirements for 

mandatory eligibles, program changes for dual eligibles, and long-term care programs. State 

policymakers will be making key decisions about whether or not to participate in the ACA’s 

Medicaid expansion for adults, the extent to which they contract with managed care firms for 

the Medicaid population (including dual eligibles), and the extent to which they will establish 

relationships with accountable care organizations within the Medicaid program. These 

decisions will have profound impacts on the Medicaid program of the future. In addition, rural 

America, like the rest of America is facing a huge explosion of growth in the growth of the 

elderly population, which will have implications for the Medicaid program.

Figure 3. The Importance of Medicaid to Rural Communities

An important benefit of the Medicaid program is its contribution to 

rural community well-being through a stronger health care system 

and a more stable local economy. Medicaid contributes to rural 

communities in four important ways:

 by providing opportunity for access to health care services, 

in turn influencing health status, productivity, and quality 

of life of citizens;

 by providing patient revenue, Medicaid helps retain health 

professionals;

 by supporting the social services infrastructure; and 

 by contributing to the economy through revenue and job 

creation. 
5

References

1 Staley M, Bean J, Ulrich J, (2011). Rates of Public Health Insurance Coverage for Children Rise as Rates 

of Private Coverage Decline. Durham, NH: Carsey Institute, University of New Hampshire. 

2 Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. (July 2001). Medicaid “Mandatory” and “Optional” 

Eligibility and Benefits (Publication No. 2258). Washington, DC: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 

3 The Fiscal Survey of States. (Spring 2012). Washington, DC: National Association of State Budget 

Officers. Accessed at: www.nasbo.org. 

4 Angeles J, Broaddus M. (March 28, 2012). Federal government will pick up nearly all costs of health 

reform’s Medicaid expansion. Washington, DC: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

5 United States Department of Health and Human Services. (February 2012). Computations for the 2012 

Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines for the 48 Contiguous States and the District of Columbia. 

Accessed at: http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/12computations.shtml. 

6 Based on analysis presented in McBride, T. (December 22, 2009). Impact of the Patient Protection and 

Affordable Care Act on Covered Persons as Amended. Health Panel Brief. Rural Policy Research Institute 

for Rural Health Policy Analysis and Washington University in St. Louis, and additional unpublished 

simulations.

7 US Census Bureau. (2012). Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States, 2011. 

Current Population Reports. P60-243. 

8 Current Population Survey. (March 2011). Annual Social and Economic Supplement.

9 Lenardson J, Ziller E, Coburn A, Anderson N. (June 2009). Profile of Rural Health Insurance Coverage: A 

Chartbook. Portland, ME: Rural Health Research and Policy Centers & University of Southern Maine. 

10 Ziller E, Coburn A. (February 2009). Rural Coverage Gaps Decline Following Public Health Insurance 

Expansions. Portland, ME: Maine Rural Health Research Center: University of Southern Maine. 

11 Ziller E. (2012). Rural Children More Likely to Have and Retain Public Coverage After CHIP (Policy 

Brief). Portland, ME: Maine Rural Health Research Center. University of Southern Maine, forthcoming. 

12 King J, Holmes G. (May 2011). Recent Changes in Health Insurance Coverage in Rural and Urban Areas. 

Chapel Hill, NC: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, Cecil G. Sheps Center 

for Health Services Research.

13 Sommers BD, Baicker K, Epstein AM. (July 25, 2012). Mortality and Access to Care Among Adults after 

State Medicaid Expansions. New England Journal of Medicine. (10.1056/NEJMsa1202099). Accessed at: 

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1202099#t=articleTop. 

14 Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. (June 2011). A Data Book: Health Care Spending and the 

Medicare Program. Washington, DC: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.
6

15 Bishop B, Gallardo R. (November 29, 2011). The Geography of Disability. Daily Yonder. Accessed at: 

http://www.dailyyonder.com/geography-disability/2011/11/29/3619.

16 Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. (March 2011). Medicaid Matters: Understanding 

Medicaid’s Role in Our Health Care System. Washington, DC: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 

Accessed at: http://www.kff.org/medicaid/8165.cfm. 

17 Calculations were derived from the 2012 Community Population Survey-based estimate of rural aged 

65 and older for 2012. Annual mortality rates were incorporated by age/sex cohort for 2029 

calculations. 

18 Calculations based on the 2008 Health Tracking Physician Survey from the Center for Studying Health 

Systems Change. 

19 Avalere Health Analysis of American Hospital Association Annual Survey data. (2009). The 

Opportunities and Challenges for Rural Hospitals in an Era of Health Reform [presentation]. American 

Hospital Association and Avalere. 

20 Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. (March 2011). Medicaid and Long-Term Care 

Services and Supports. Washington, DC: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 

21 Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. (July 2005). Medicaid: A Primer (Publication No. 

7334). Washington, DC: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 

22 United Health Group. (2011). Analysis of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) 

Area Resource File (2007 data) and U.S. Census Bureau data (2009 data). 

23 Lambert D, Agger M. (December 1994). Access of Rural Medicaid Beneficiaries to Mental Health 

Services, Working paper # 4. Portland, ME: Maine Rural Health Research Center. 

24 Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. (January 2009). The Role of Medicaid in State 

Economies: A Look at the Research. Washington, DC: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 
7

About the Authors

The RUPRI Health Panel is led by Keith J. Mueller, PhD. He can be contacted at (319) 384-3832, 

keith-mueller@uiowa.edu. Authors of this report are: 

Andrew F. Coburn, PhD, is a professor of Health Policy and Management, directs the Institute 

for Health Policy in the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine, 

and is a senior investigator in the Maine Rural Health Research Center. 

Jennifer P. Lundblad, PhD, MBA, is president and CEO of Stratis Health, an independent nonprofit quality improvement organization based in Bloomington, Minnesota, that leads 

collaboration and innovation in health care quality and patient safety. Dr. Lundblad has an 

extensive background in leadership, organization development, and program management in 

both non-profit and education settings. 

A. Clinton MacKinney, MD, MS, is a board-certified family physician delivering emergency 

medicine services in rural Minnesota; a senior consultant for Stroudwater Associates, a rural 

hospital consulting firm; and a contract researcher for the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy 

Analysis at the University of Iowa. 

Timothy D. McBride, PhD, is a professor of public health in the George Warren Brown School of 

Social Work, and a faculty scholar in the Institute for Public Health at Washington University in 

St. Louis. 

Keith J. Mueller, PhD, is the Rural Health Panel chair. Dr. Mueller is the head of the Department 

of Health Management and Policy in the University of Iowa College of Public Health, where he is 

also the Gerhard Hartman Professor and the director of the RUPRI Center for Rural Health 

Policy Analysis. 

Sidney D. Watson, JD, is a professor of Law in the Center for Health Law Studies at Saint Louis 

University School of Law. Her research focuses on access to health care for the poor and other 

disadvantaged people.