This brief examines health insurance coverage gains, Marketplace coverage and premium tax credits, and access to health care with a special focus on individuals living in rural areas. Rural individuals, like those living in urban and suburban areas, have seen large coverage gains under the ACA – about an 8 percentage point increase from before the first open enrollment period through early 2015. Among the 88 percent of rural HealthCare.gov consumers with premium tax credits, the average net monthly premium increased by $5, or 4 percent, between 2015 and 2016. Individuals in rural areas have seen improvements in access to care; the share who report being unable to afford needed care declined by nearly 6 percentage points from before the first open enrollment period through early 2015.
"ACARuralbrief.pdf" (pdf, 265.66Kb)
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