Payers, Governments Invest in Rural Areas During Pandemic

by Tim Casey

During the COVID-19 pandemic, payers and federal and local governments are taking steps to improve health outcomes in rural, non-metropolitan communities, where case and mortality rates are significantly higher than in metropolitan areas. Some of those initiatives include offering grants to health care providers, expanding access to telehealth and hosting events and campaigns to increase vaccinations, according to three speakers who discussed the pandemic and rural health during a Feb. 28 webinar hosted by the National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) Foundation. 

Arkansas BCBS addresses rural health 

• As of March 7, the seven-day COVID-19 case rate was 70.6% higher in non-metropolitan areas (22.94 cases per 100,000 population) compared with metropolitan areas (13.45 cases per 100,000 population), according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 
• “[COVID-19] has hit rural communities in a dramatic fashion,” Tom Morris, associate administrator for the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), said during the webinar. “They have lower vaccination rates, higher case rates [and] higher mortality, all of which is a real concern for rural communities.” 
• Creshelle Nash, M.D., medical director for Health Equity and Public Programs at Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, said the pandemic has exacerbated an already difficult situation in her state. 
• The Arkansas Blues plan has placed an increased emphasis on health equity and rural health during the pandemic, including through its Blue & You Foundation. The insurer has already awarded more than $8.5 million in two rounds of grants in rural communities. 
• “That could be everything from helping care providers to food banks to mobile units to providing personal protective gear during the pandemic and media campaigns,” Nash said during the webinar. 

Telehealth investments are booming 

• Telehealth is another tool that is being used to address the issue of a lack of health care providers in rural areas, according to Josh Jorgensen, government affairs and policy director at the National Rural Health Association (NRHA). 
• Jorgensen noted during the webinar that the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed in March 2020 provided the largest expansion of telehealth in history. For example, Medicare for the first time was permitted to pay for telehealth services provided by federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics and critical access hospitals. 
• In August 2021, HRSA invested nearly $19.2 million in funding to 36 health care organizations to increase access to telehealth and assess its effectiveness on patients, providers and payers. Three months later, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which included $65 billion earmarked for expanding broadband access in rural areas. 
• Still, despite the telehealth progress, Jorgensen noted that many of the provisions are tied to HHS’s continued declaration that COVID-19 is a public health emergency. As of now, the public health emergency designation is scheduled to end on April 15, although it could be extended. 

From Health Plan Weekly

Subscribers may read the in-depth article online. Learn more about subscribing to AIS Health's publications.