The Missouri Senate unanimously approved legislation Thursday that would require insurance companies to cover medical services provided electronically if they cover the same service when it is delivered in person.
Recruiting doctors to small towns is a chronic problem. Most places try to lure a physician by rolling out the red carpet with a big salary, a home on a golf course or other cushy perks.
Not so in Ashland, Kan., population 855, where the CEO of a tiny hospital is building a reverse recruitment model based on remote access and problems commonly found in third-world countries.
According to the Missouri Hospital Association, some 500,000 additional people will enroll in health insurance between now and 2019. That's expected to put some serious strain on the rural health system. Click through for more graphics.
Health is generally poorer in rural Missouri compared to urban areas, yet there is a distinct shortage of primary care physicians in rural Missouri. KBIA’s Jacob Fenston has reported that the shortage is only expected to worsen over the next ten years as the elderly population expands.
This graphic shows some of these inequalities--click through for more detail. Created by Lydia Mulvany.