This report, released by the Center for Rural Affairs and the Center for Community Change, highlights the unique challenges of rural health care.  The report notes that rural communities have a lower rate of employer-sponsored insurance because rural economies rely more heavily on small businesses and self-employment.  The report also finds that rural areas have twice the rate of underinsurance as urban areas and that rural residents pay 22 percent more for health coverage than those living near metropolitan areas.

Full Report: Why Rural America Needs Health Care Reform (html)

Center for Rural Affairs and Center for Community Change. (2009). Sweet the bitter drought why rural America needs health care reform. Bailey, Jon; Kohn, Sally; & Evans, Angie.