Yesterday Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Senator Kay Hagan discussed a new report that examines the health care status quo in rural America. The report, they say, underscores the necessity of enacting health care reform.

“Americans who live in rural communities have a harder time finding the doctor they need and getting the care they deserve and their health suffers” said Sebelius. “Americans in rural communities also face some of the nation’s highest rates of obesity and high blood pressure and they struggle to get affordable health care. Reform will improve access to high quality care in rural communities and help give all Americans the stable, secure care they need.”

Highlights from the report:

• One in five uninsured Americans – 8.5 million people – lives in a rural area and uninsurance rates are higher for rural minority populations, the rural poor, and those with less than a high school education
• Rural Americans pay for nearly half of their health care costs out of their own pocket, and one out of every five farmers is in medical debt
• There were only 55 primary care physicians per 100,000 residents in rural areas in 2005, compared with 72 per 100,000 in urban areas. The rate decreases to 36 per 100,000 in isolated, small rural areas. As a result, nearly 50 million rural Americans lack access to a primary care provider because of shortages in their communities and 12 million seniors live in areas where they do not have adequate access to a primary care provider.

It’s nice to see this focus on rural America. Let’s hope it’s not just lip service.