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Sebelius: rural health care, insurance below par
The current health insurance and health care system isn’t working for Rural America. That’s according to a report unveiled this week by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The report, the results of which support Obama Administration efforts to enact health insurance reform, examines the health care status quo in rural communities.
Sebelius says the report shows that many Rural Americans, such as farmers, are self-employed, putting them at a healthcare disadvantage.
“A lot of them have to buy insurance on the individual market where they don’t have many choices and they have extremely high prices and rules which don’t protect consumers,” Sebelius said Tuesday during a conference call with reporters. “If they get insurance, too many folks in Rural America might have trouble finding a doctor.”
Among other things, the report says Rural Americans pay out-of-pocket for nearly half their health care. The report also says one in five farmers is in medical debt.
Sebelius cites report statistics indicating that two-thirds of underserved communities in America are in rural areas.
“It means Rural Americans are likely to miss critical preventive care, like mammograms and pap smears because sometimes those visits are just too difficult to schedule,” said Sebelius.
Tags: Consumer Issues
Ïf your parents did not have any children, chances are, you won’t either. These are the kind of important issues congress is working on right now though…trying to find the answers – no matter how many of your tax dollars it will take.