Some potential points to spur discussion:
- Generally, higher shares of insured residents, regardless of private, Medicaid, or
Medicare policy holders, lead to a higher likelihood of a county potentially having
at least some healthcare establishments. A significant exception are optometrists
who are less likely to locate in areas with high shares of Medicare recipients, likely
due to the limited availability of vision coverage in Medicare plans (routine eye
exams and glasses are not covered).
- Counties appear present structural as well as economic barriers to optometrist establishments
in these industries seeking to locate there. For example, the presence of potential
patients may not be enough to remain a viable business. Instead these establishments
may require an additional location specific feature such as a highly skilled labor
force, a high per capita income, or a high share of residents with financial access
to health care to sustain a viable business.
For the detailed journal article from which this map derives, see Van Sandt, Anders,
Craig Wesley Carpenter, Scott Loveridge, Rebekka Dudensing, and Linda Niehm. 2021.
“Revealing U.S. Retail Industries’ Functional Hierarchy Through Demand Thresholds.” Under review.
This project was supported by the Agricultural and Food Research Initiative Competitive
Program of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), award number
2017-67023-26242.
Economic Opportunity Maps Methodology Discussion Guide User's Guide