Rural-Urban Differences in the Rate of Health Insurance Coverage

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Although national estimates of health insurance coverage rates typically show little or no difference between rural and urban areas in the per cent of residents with health insurance, if only individuals below the age of 65 are considered, rural residents are more likely to lack health insurance. When individual states are considered, rural residents are typically more likely to be uninsured than their urban counterparts. The four states in which urban residents are more likely to be uninsured tend to have large central cities. Our analysis provides evidence of a slight, yet important, lower rate of insurance coverage in rural communities.

Rural-Urban Differences in the Rate of Health Insurance Coverage