Governor Ritter announced over $300 million in budget cuts this week. We applaud his efforts in trying to reduce the impact on rural healthcare and safety net services, but these cuts will impact our rural communities, nonetheless. These budget cuts will begin being implemented on September 1st. There will...

Representative Betsy Markey (4th District) will be traveling throughout the month of August discussing the many healthcare reform proposals being debated at the national level. Look for her visit in a town near you! 08/18 Congress on Your Corner Ft Collins 9am – 12pm 08/19 Congress on Your Corner...

The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for the Accountable Care Collaborative. The Accountable Care Collaborative is part of the state’s Medicaid reform effort, and is envisioned to consist of a statewide data organization and a number of regional...

Today the push to overhaul the nation’s health care system faced another setback. The day after a President Obama had a news conference urging for a vote before the August recess, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that there would be no health care vote on the floor of...

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual today: Regina M. Benjamin, Nominee for Surgeon General, Department of Health and Human Services. Regina M. Benjamin, MD, MBA, is Founder and CEO of the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in Bayou La Batre, Alabama. She is the...

On June 25, Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced S. 1355, the Rural Health Clinic Patient Access and Improvement Act of 2009. The bill addresses long-standing underpayments to rural health clinics, introduces a quality improvement program to RHCs, and provides incentives to recruit and retain...

With the talk of federal health care reform changing daily, there are a few tools that can help you sort through the mess….. CRHC is keeping track of the discussion at the federal level and will be following how reform efforts will impact rural health care providers and consumers....

Thank you Colorado Rural Health Center members for your help in making the 2009 Legislative Session a success. CRHC took positions on 9 pieces of legislation and were involved altogether with 11 bills. Please click here for a recap of some of the bills CRHC worked on this year.

Hooray! We all can finally breathe a sigh of relief as the 2009 Legislative Session is over. Stay tuned as I will be posting an overview of the bills CRHC tracked this session and how your legislator voted on rural health issues. Thanks to all of you for your...