New CHIR Case Research Examines Insurance policies to Increase Main Care Entry in West Virginia

By Maanasa Kona, Jalisa Clark, and Emma Walsh-Alker

Strong major care infrastructure is related to higher population health outcomes and reduced health disparities. Nevertheless, many individuals within the U.S. lack major care entry—notably communities of coloration and folks residing in rural areas.

In a new case study, revealed in collaboration with the Milbank Memorial Fund, CHIR researchers examined stakeholder efforts to enhance major care entry in Kanawha County, West Virginia—an space designated as a primary care health professional shortage area for low-income residents. Kanawha county is residence to the seat of the state authorities, Charleston, but in addition contains rural areas outdoors of the town. Researchers discovered that coverage initiatives applied on the native and state stage have had blended outcomes.

West Virginia has invested closely in bettering the recruitment and retention of major care clinicians training within the state by establishing a number of scholarship and mortgage reimbursement packages for well being professions college students. These packages have helped draw clinicians to West Virginia, although retention stays a problem. The state’s determination to broaden Medicaid has additionally considerably improved entry to major care for a lot of low-income residents.

However, West Virginia’s arms off strategy towards very important security internet clinics like federally certified well being facilities (FQHCs) and school-based well being facilities (SBHCs) has hindered these suppliers’ skill to additional broaden their attain and providers, and the state has but to take a management position in supporting and increasing the provision of neighborhood well being employees (CHWs). Additional, Kanawha County residents wrestle to entry major care due to transportation and broadband-related obstacles.

You possibly can learn the complete case examine here.

This work was supported by the National Institute for Health Care Reform.