Recent Changes in Access to Care among Adults in Rural Maine

This study examines changes in access to care among adults in rural Maine from 2018 to 2023, a period of significant transformation in the state’s healthcare landscape. Using individual-level survey data, we document a substantial increase in the self-reported rate of health insurance coverage across rural Maine during this period, reaching 94 percent in 2023. Coverage gains are most pronounced among adults in more remote and economically disadvantaged rural areas and are accompanied by steep reductions in financial barriers to care. We also find large increases in several measures of primary and preventive care, including higher rates of annual checkups and having a personal doctor. Despite these gains, we find evidence of ongoing access challenges, with over one in four adults in rural Maine delaying medical care for reasons other than costs in 2022, and persistent disparities in access to dental care between adults in metro and rural areas. The findings from our analysis highlight both recent progress and continuing barriers to healthcare access across rural Maine communities.