A new report examines the potential effects of national health reform on the nation’s 96.2 million residents of urban and rural medically underserved communities. Using government data, the research brief from The George Washington University Department of Health Policy estimates that 72 percent of medically underserved community residents are insured; yet residents of these communities experience ongoing barriers to adequate health care, as measured by population health and social risk, a shortage of primary health care, or both. The report, entitled National Health Reform: How Will Medically Underserved Communities Fare?, identifies key investments and safeguards that can help ensure that insurance expansions into a lower income, at-risk population actually translate into improved healthcare quality, the reduction of disparities in health and health care, and greater system efficiencies.
