Why Rural America Needs Health Reform Rural Problem: Rural Americans are uninsured and underinsured at higher rates than their urban counterparts. • In the smallest and most remote rural areas, the uninsured rate is 23% compared to an urban rate of 19%.• A greater proportion of self-employed workers living...

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.