What are some rural implications of the Medicare program?
Because of the heavy dependence on Medicare revenues of most rural hospitals and health care delivery systems, Medicare has been a central issue to rural health care stakeholders. The network of providers that serves rural Americans is fragile and more dependent on Medicare revenue because of the high percentage of Medicare beneficiaries who live in rural areas. Additionally, rural residents on average tend to be older, lower income, and suffer from higher rates of chronic illness then their urban counterparts.
