The rural residents of the United States are facing major healthcare vulnerabilities in the country. Shocking revelations revealed that about 69% of the rural residents are receiving adequate healthcare services. A survey conducted by the Transamerica Center for Health Studies conducted in August 2019 revealed that US residents with age 18 to 64 are facing major healthcare vulnerabilities.
About 81% of the rural healthcare residents have health insurance and the remaining 19 percent do not have that liberty. Only 28% of the rural residents are totally satisfied about the quality of healthcare they received in case of emergency or schedule checkups. Furthermore, only 3 workers out of 10 are offered healthcare benefits by their employer, while the remaining 7 workers don’t enjoy such privileges.
National Program Manager for Transamerica Center for Health Studies, Christopher Wells said, “Much of the attention surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic has focused primarily on cities and larger metropolitan areas. We also need to focus on rural areas and the unique vulnerabilities their residents are facing.”
“Employers across all regions of the country play a crucial role in providing workers with health insurance coverage and workplace wellness programs, but in rural areas, this is happening to a lesser extent,” Christopher Wells further added in his statement.
“Rural residents face certain health care-related challenges that are somewhat beyond their control. However, they may be overlooking opportunities to improve their situation that are within their reach,” Christopher Wells added.
“Even before COVID-19, many rural residents faced health and healthcare-related risks. The pandemic greatly magnifies these risks. At a societal level, more can and should be done to enhance the accessibility and affordability of health care. At an individual level, it is extremely important that rural residents be hypervigilant in safeguarding their health and follow the CDC’s recommendations for taking precautionary measures, such as social distancing, wearing a mask, and frequent hand washing,” Christopher Wells concluded.
