Health Insurance Coverage in Rural America

This chartbook presents an analysis of the most recent national data on health insurance coverage based on a county's proximity to a large urban area--an important factor discriminating rural residents' access to economic opportunities and health care services. The first section of the chartbook addresses the questions of whether and by how much health insurance coverage and soures of health coverage differ among people living in rural vs. urban communities. Sections II and III examine differences in the socio-economic and employment characteristics of those living in two groups of rural counties vs. all urban counties. The final section discusses the policy implications of these findings.