Rural Health Clinic Legislation Introduced in the Senate

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 medical professionals to rural areas.

The bill also raises the all-inclusive Medicare payment cap for RHCs to $92, a greater than 20 percent increase over the previous cap, which was set in the 1970s. Currently, rural health clinics are hamstrung by low reimbursement rates that pay them less than what it costs to deliver care. This legislation allows for better collaboration between community health centers and rural health clinics. It will also create a five-state demonstration project to determine whether medical professionals would be incentivized to practice in rural areas if RHCs subsidized a portion of their medical liability costs.

CRHC has contacted Colorado's Senators to urge their support and co-sponsorship of this legislation. Please click HERE for more information and to read the bill in its entirety.

Federal Health Care Reform

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.

The Kaiser Family Foundation has an interactive tool where you can compare and contrast the different proposals that have been introduced in both the House and the Senate: Kaiser Family Foundation

The New York Times also has a thorough website devoted to health care reform: Key Challenges in Health Care Debate

2009 CRHC Legislative Recap

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.

The Legislative Session is Over!

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 help and support this session!

Final stretch......

Well, we're down to the last days of the 2009 legislative session and there is still a lot that needs to be done!

The Good News:

• SB09-002 (increase funding for EMTS from $1 to $2) passed the General Assembly and is off to the Governor for his signature. THANK YOU to all of you who helped with getting this legislation passed!
• SB09-129 (duties concerning dental hygenists) became law! Dental hygenists can now diagnose cavitities and perform other oral health services that were previously restricted.
• HB09-1293 (medicaid hospital provider fee) was signed by the Governor! Now the fun really begins! An advisory board will be established and work with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid to hash out what this provide fee will look like and truly mean for Colordans. Stay tuned for more information as this process unfolds.
• Medicaid provider cuts, which were originally set at 4.33%, have been reduced to 2%. Not sure you can call this good news, but the cuts are less severe then originally expected.

What still needs to be done:

• SB09-271 proposes taking $35 million from Amendment 35 funds, in particular $15 million from the Primary Care Fund. Approximately $2 million of those Primary Care Funds are allocated to safety net clinics that are not federally qualified health centers (also known as community health centers). CRHC and a host of our partner organizations have been working to stop the General Assembly from taking these Primary Care Funds. Focus is targeted specifically on Joint Budget Committee members right now, which include:
  Senator Moe Keller, Senator Abel Tapia, Senator Al White, Rep. Jack Pommer, Rep. Mark Ferrandino, Rep. Don Marostica
  
  
• HB09-1111 (health resources for underserved areas) is scheduled to be heard tomorrow (Tues. April 28th) in Senate Appropriations. Click HERE for more information on this bill.
• HB09-1119 (rural substance abuse grant program) is scheduled to be heard by the entire Senate tomorrow (4.28).

Please contact your Senator NOW to urge their support on these two very important pieces of legislation! For an up to date list of contact information, please click HERE.

Again, thanks for all of your help and support this legislative session! We're almost done!

Call Your Senator and urge them to oppose cutting healthcare dollars!

In order to balance the budget, the General Assembly is proposing to take $35 million from healthcare programs, which include Primary Care Funds, tobacco cessation, and wellness & prevention programs. They are also proposing 4.33% provider rate cuts. These proposed cuts to healthcare services have already been approved by the House and it is now up to the Senate to vote on these. Please contact your Senator and urge them to oppose these cuts! 

Contact Your Representative Now! Support SB09-002!

SB09-002 which would increase funding for Emergency Medical & Trauma Services is up for its almost-final hurdle in the House Appropriations Committee next Friday, April 17th and we need your help, especially if your Representative sits on this Committee. It is also extremely important to begin reaching out to the House Committee of the Whole as once this passes the Appropriation Committee it will be off to the House of the Whole.

Please click HERE to get a current contact list of the General Assembly or visit http://www.votesmart.org/ to learn who your Representative is and find out contact information.

Thank you in advance for your continued support and help!

House Appropriations Committee
Jerry Sonnenberg: 303-866-3706; jerry.sonnenberg.house@state.co.us
John Kefalas: 303-866-4569; john@kefalas2008.com
Don Marostica: 303-866-2947; don@donmarostica.com
Jim Riesberg: 303-866-2929; jim.riesberg.house@state.co.us
Sal Pace: 303-866-2968; sal.pace.house@state.co.us
Jim Kerr: 303-866-2939; jim.kerr.house@state.co.us
Andy Kerr: 303-866-2923; andy@andykerr.org
Bob Gardner: 303-866-2191; bob.gardner.house@state.co.us
Jack Pommer: 303-866-2780; jack.pommer.house@state.co.us
Beth McCann: 303-866-2959; beth.mccann.house@state.co.us
Joel Judd: 303-866-2925; repjoeljudd@joeljudd.com
Mark Ferrandino: 303-866-2911; mferrandino@yahoo.com
Glenn Vaad: 303-866-2943; gvaad@gmail.com

Stay up to Speed on the Bills CRHC is Tracking!

The 2009 Colorado General Assembly is almost a month away from adjourning. Stay up to speed on what bills CRHC is tracking and how they may impact rural healthcare.

Please click HERE for the CRHC Bill Tracking Tool.
You can also visit the CRHC Policy & Advocacy page for more information.

Contact House Appropriations Members - Urge Support for HB09-1111 and HB09-1119!

Two bills that CRHC supports are scheduled to be heard this Friday, April 3rd in House Appropriations and we need your help to move them through!

HB09-1111: Health Resources for Underserved Areas is an extrememly important bill that will greatly impact rural healthcare access and services by strengthening the Primary Care Office. For detailed information on this bill, please visit the CRHC Legislative Update page.

HB09-1119: Rural Substance Abuse Grant Program: would establish the rural alcohol and substance abuse grant program that would provide alcohol and substance abuse treatment and prevention services to youth who reside in rural areas of the state. Rural is defined in this bill to be a county with less than 30,000 people.

Please contact your Representative and urge their support for these bills!

House Appropriations Committee Members
Jack Pommer: 303-866-2780; jack.pommer.house@state.co.us
Mark Ferrandino: 303-866-2911; mferrandino@yahoo.com
Bob Gardner: 303-866-2191; bob.gardner.house@state.co.us
Joel Judd: 303-866-2925; joeljudd@aol.com
John Kefalas: 303-866-4569; john.kefalas.house@state.co.us
Andy Kerr: 303-866-2923; akerrhd26@earthlink.net
Jim Kerr: 303-866-2939; james.kerr.house@state.co.us
Don Marostica: 303-866-2947; don@donmarostica.com
Beth McCann: 303-866-2959; beth.mccann.house@state.co.us
Sal Pace: 303-866-2968; sal.pace.house@state.co.us
Jim Riesberg: 303-866-2929; jim.riesberg.house@state.co.us
Jerry Sonnenberg: 303-866-3706; jerry.sonnenberg.house@state.co.us
Glenn Vaad: 303-866-2943; glenn.vaad.house@state.co.us

SB002 - Passed another hurdle.....almost there! Please Contact your Representatives!!

SB09-002 passed both the House Transportation & Energy Committee and the House Finance Committee this week! Thanks to all of you for your help and support! The bill now awaits the House Appropriations Committee, which will most likely hear the bill sometime next week. Once it passes Appropriations, it will only have two more steps to go (2nd Reading in the House Committee of the Whole and then 3rd & Final Reading in House Committee of the Whole). While this bill has had a long and tenuous journey, we need your help to push it through the final hurdles! Please contact the House Appropriations members to express your support of this extremely important piece of legislation!

Please read some of the other posts on this site to learn more about SB09-002.

House Appropriations Committee
Jerry Sonnenberg: 303-866-3706; jerry.sonnenberg.house@state.co.us
John Kefalas: 303-866-4569; john@kefalas2008.com
Don Marostica: 303-866-2947; don@donmarostica.com
Jim Riesberg: 303-866-2929; jim.riesberg.house@state.co.us
Sal Pace: 303-866-2968; sal.pace.house@state.co.us
Jim Kerr: 303-866-2939; jim.kerr.house@state.co.us
Andy Kerr: 303-866-2923; andy@andykerr.org
Bob Gardner: 303-866-2191; bob.gardner.house@state.co.us
Jack Pommer: 303-866-2780; jack.pommer.house@state.co.us
Beth McCann: 303-866-2959; beth.mccann.house@state.co.us
Joel Judd: 303-866-2925; repjoeljudd@joeljudd.com
Mark Ferrandino: 303-866-2911; mferrandino@yahoo.com
Glenn Vaad: 303-866-2943; gvaad@gmail.com

Contact your Representative Now to Support SB09-002!!!

SB09-002, which would increase the motor vehicle registration fee by $1 to support Emergency Medical Services in Colorado has passed the Senate and is now up for consideration in the House Fianance Committee. After passing in the House Transportation & Energy Committee by a 10-1 vote yesterday the bill is scheduled to be heard TODAY (March 18th) by the House Finance Committee. If your Representative is on the Finance Committee, please call them today to urge their support of this very importatnt piece of legislation!
For more information about SB09-002, please visit: http://www.coemsandtraumafunds.org/

Finance Committee Members:
Joel Judd (Chair): 303-866-2925; repjoeljudd@joeljudd.com
Jerry Frangas (Vice-Chair): 303-866-2954; jerry.frangas.house@state.co.us
Dennis Apuan: 303-866-3069; dennis@dennisapuan.com
Debbie Benefield: 303-866-2950; debbie.benefield.house@state.co.us
Cheri Gerou: 303-866-2582; cheri.gerou.house@state.co.us
John Kefalas: 303-866-4569; john.kefalas.house@state.co.us
Andy Kerr: 303-866-2923; andy@andykerr.org
Kent Lambert: 303-866-2937; repkentlambert@comcast.net
Ellen Roberts: 303-866-2914; ellen.roberts.house@state.co.us
Ken Summers: 303-866-2927; ken.summers.house@state.co.us
Spencer Swalm: 303-866-5510; spencer.swalm.house@state.co.us

HB-1293: Colorado Healthcare Affordability Act

HB-1293: Colorado Healthcare Affordability Act is a first step in helping to insure more than 100,000 Coloradans, while at the same time ensuring that hospital providers have adequate reimbursement rates. This bill will begin the process of establishing a hospital provider fee in Colorado that is estimated to bring in a net revenue for the state at $1.2 billion dollars. These funds will be redistributed to hospitals in effort to improve reimbursement rates for Medicaid, CHP+, and CICP patients. Please click HERE for a fact sheet.

The CRHC supports this legislation. If this bill passes, CRHC will be working with the Colorado Hospital Association and the Hospital Provider Fee Oversight and Advisory Board to ensure that rural hospitals benefit from this legislation.

The bill is scheduled to be heard Friday, March 13th in the House Health & Human Services Committee. We encourage you to contact your Representative and urge their support.

Chair: Jim Riesberg: 303-866-2929; jim.riesberg.house@state.co.us
Vice-Chair: Sara Gagliardi: 303-888-2962; sara.gagliardi.house@state.co.us
Cindy Acree: 303- 866- 2944; cindy.acree.house@state.co.us
Gwen Green: 303-866-2951; gwengreen@yahoo.com
John Kefalas: 303-866-4569; john.kefalas.house@state.co.us
Jim Kerr: 303-866-2939; james.kerr.house@state.co.us
Kevin Lundberg:303-866-2907: replundberg@gmail.com
Anne McGihon: 303-866-2921; anne.mcgihon.house@state.co.us
Dianne Primavera:303-866-4667; dianne.primavera.house@state.co.us
Ellen Roberts: 303-866-2914; ellen.roberts.house@state.co.us
Spencer Swalm: 303-866-5510; spencer.swalm.house@state.co.us

SB09-002: Contact your Representative!

SB09-002, which would increase the motor vehicle registration fee by $1 to support Emergency Medical Services in Colorado has passed the Senate and is now up for consideration in the House Transportation & Energy Committee. A hearing date has not been set, but it is not too early to begin contacting your Representatives to encourage them to support this very importatnt piece of legislation!

Website: http://www.coemsandtraumafunds.org/
SB09-002 fact sheet

House Transportation & Energy Committee Members
Chair: Buffie McFadyen: mcfadyen2002@hotmail.com; 303-866-2905
Co-Chair: Gwen Green: gwyngreen@yahoo.com; 303-866-2951
Randy Baumgardner: randy.baumgardner.house@state.co.us;
303-866-2949
Randy Fischer: randyfischer@frii.com; 303-866-2917
Jerry Frangas: kjerry.frangas.house@state.co.us; 303-866-2954
Steve King: steve.king.house@state.co.us; 303-866-3068
Marsha Looper: marshalooper@gmail.com; 303-866-2946
Frank McNulty: 303-866-2936
Michael Merrifield: michael.merrifield.house@state.co.us;
303-866-2932
Dianne Primavera: dianne.primavera.house@state.co.us;
303-866-4667
Glenn Vaad: glenn.vaad.house@state.co.us; 303-866-2943

Keep up to date on bills CRHC is tracking

CRHC is updating its legislative tracking list on a weekly basis. Keep up to date on bills that we are following by visiting our site: CRHC Policy & Advocacy