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Rural Aging
United States
Getting
Older,
County by County (April 11, 2012)
The median age of most US counties is growing older. But
rural counties have the oldest median age. The average
median age in rural counties grew from 39.0 years in 2000
to 42.5 years in 2010. Additionally, the gap between rural
and urban counties is widening.
Medicaid and Rural America (March 1, 2012)
Medicaid
plays a
crucial role in rural communities. Reasons include the
fact that rural
poverty rates are generally higher and rural residents
often have lower
rates of employer-sponsored health insurance.
Additionally, rural areas
have a higher proportion of older persons in their total
population.
Lastly, Medicaid is vital to the local economy and the
health care
infrastructure, including providers whose patients are
mostly Medicaid
patients.
An ‘Age Valley’ Confronts the Great Plains
(February 10, 2012)
The 2010 Census reveals that elderly residents over the
age of 65 are
more likely to live in rural areas than are younger
adults. As rural
areas in the Plains and Midwest need resources for the
very young and
elderly citizens, their population has been shrinking
towards expanding
metropolitan areas. Emphasis on access to public
transportation, health
care, retirement security and stability of programs tied
to senior
populations will be critical for rural aging
populations. How will
these rural counties provide the services necessary for
communities to
survive?
Rural Counties More Dependent on Social
Security (October 31,
2011)
Any cuts to the Social Security program will
disproportionately affect
the rural USA. Rural counties are more reliant on Social
Security
income than are the nation's cities. Social Security
payments are vital
to rural counties and small cities because the money
supports the
economy of the local community.
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