The Red Tape Divide: How Medicaid Paperwork Burdens Hit Rural Communities Harder

Executive Summary

Although electronic asset verification is a welcome and broadly successful modernization effort, there are still gaps in its effectiveness that uniquely impact people in rural communities. This paper explores the structural limitations of asset verification systems (AVS) in light of the unique characteristics of rural financial institutions and the prevalence of heirs’ property in the rural south, and it offers a number of possible policy solutions that seek to ensure that the streamlining benefits of AVS can be equally enjoyed by all.