The Heath Plight of Rural Women
Richardson, H
Women and Health 12(3-4): 41-54
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0363-0242 DOI: 10.1300/j013v12n03_03Document Number: 339374
This article highlights the health of rural women, with special emphasis on health insurance and policy. The health plight of rural women is rooted in poverty, which contributes to their poorer health status and creates financial barriers to obtaining health care. The special needs of rural women can be addressed through policies that diminish poverty and provide protection through a national health program for uninsured populations. To improve health insurance coverage, the following are suggested: 1) eliminating Medicaid eligibility criteria tied to state welfare eligibility, 2) developing incentives for small businesses to provide adequate health insurance coverage for employees, and 3) restructuring or supplementing Medicaid and Medicare to cover self-employed farmers, seasonal workers, and others who fall between the cracks of eligibility requirements. To increase availability of services, there are 2 recommendations: reimbursing physicians and hospitals such that the costs associated with recruiting personnel to remote areas and serving a low volume of patients are recognized, and establishing or reinstituting federal and state programs that encourage health personnel through educational loans or tax incentives to practice in rural areas. To improve transportation, setting up special loan programs for rural providers or communities to upgrade facilities and to provide transportation services.