Rural-Urban Healthcare Access Gap: It’s All About The Fixed Costs
Forbes
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Summary
Rural U.S. healthcare access challenges hinge on covering medical practices' fixed costs in areas of lower demand. Government response, creating 'Critical Access Hospitals' in rural, low population-density areas, resulted in overrun supply and low-quality, high-cost care. Solutions should refocus on essential rural needs like primary care, satellite outpatient-only hospitals, and lifting regulatory limitations on telehealth and pharmacies.
