How does the lack of healthcare access affect population health and patient well-being in a community?
Health Status and Health Care Access of Farm and Rural Populations states that both farm and rural populations experience lower access to healthcare along the dimensions of affordability, proximity, and quality, compared with their nonfarm and urban counterparts.
According to the 2014 RUPRI Health Panel report, Access to Rural Health Care – A Literature Review and New Synthesis, barriers to healthcare result in unmet healthcare needs, including a lack of preventive and screening services and treatment of illnesses. A vital rural community is dependent on the health of its population.
Nonmetropolitan households are more likely to report the cost of healthcare limits their ability to receive care. Travel to reach a primary care provider may be costly and burdensome for patients living in remote rural areas, with subspecialty care often being even farther away. These patients may substitute local primary care providers for subspecialists or they may decide to postpone or forego care.
While access to medical care does not guarantee good health, access to healthcare is critical for a population\’s well-being and optimal health.
The challenges that rural residents face in accessing healthcare services contribute to health disparities. To learn more about disparities in health outcomes, see RHIhub\’s Rural Health Disparities topic guide