Public News Service

By: Mary Kuhlman

New research illustrates the significant impact Medicaid expansion is having in Kentucky, especially in rural areas. Among states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, according to the findings, uninsured rates for low-income adults living in rural areas and small towns fell more than three times more than in non-expansion states.

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The report, released by Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families and the University of North Carolina, said that disparities in coverage rates between metro and rural areas have largely been eliminated. The study’s co-author Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown center, said improved coverage rates help create a more stable health-care system, which is crucial for rural communities because of the care and the jobs they provide. “There’s so much research about this,” she said. “So, from an economic perspective, having health insurance, having this Medicaid coverage, is really important in these rural areas, which are already struggling with higher rates of unemployment and poverty.”

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