Bennet Continues 'Fighting for Colorado Families' Tour - Hears from Providers at South Park Medical Group on Rural Health Care Needs

Fairplay, CO - Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado, today talked with health care providers at the South Park Medical Group Clinic in Fairplay to talk about health care in an effort to ensure that Colorado's rural communities have a seat at the table in the debate over health care reform. Bennet spoke with

"In Colorado's rural communities, doctors and nurses do everything they can to make sure their patients get the best care possible," Bennet said. "As we talk about health care reform, we need to make sure they have a voice in the debate and that any reform makes sense for rural Colorado."

Bennet heard from health care providers on the need to improve access to care in rural areas, including rural populations in efforts to remove barriers to access and use of clinical preventive services, and addressing physician shortages.

Bennet discussed his efforts in the Senate on behalf of rural communities, including the Bennet-Roberts amendment to the budget resolution, which ensures that health reform increases funding to fix access problems in rural communities, including access to primary care and outpatient services, hospitals, and an adequate supply of providers in the workforce.

Additionally, Bennet cosponsored the Murkowski-Murray amendment to the budget resolution, increasing funding by $100 million for the National Health Service Corps program, which supplies primary care and mental health providers to rural and medically underserved communities through scholarship and loan repayment assistance. Bennet also cosponsored the Craig Thomas Rural Hospital and Provider Equity Act, which would provide much needed improvements to Medicare reimbursements for rural providers.