Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

RATON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today visited Miners Colfax Medical Center to discuss efforts in Congress to reform health care and the MCMC's desire to become a "critical access hospital."

Bingaman is a member of the two Senate committees – Health and Education and Finance – working to develop health care reform legislation.  In a meeting with MCMC CEO Mike Carter and other hospital officials, Bingaman said Congress is working to pass health care reform legislation aimed at strengthening protections for Americans who have health insurance, extending insurance to those who don't have it, and containing spiraling costs.

"Health care costs continue to skyrocket.  Yet even New Mexicans who have health insurance have reason to worry about their coverage," Bingaman said. "Congress is working to develop a bill that would protect Americans by putting an end to unfair practices such as denying coverage due to a pre-existing condition."

Bingaman also told hospital officials that he would support their effort to become a critical access hospital.   MCMC is currently a "licensed general hospital," and as such only recovers a portion of their actual Medicare costs.  Adopting a critical access hospital designation would allow the hospital to receive more Medicare funding.

To be designated as a critical access hospital, a facility must: 1) Be no less than 35 miles from another hospital; 2) Have an average in patient stay of no longer than 4 days; 3) Have no more than 25 beds; and 4) Provide 24-hour emergency room service seven days a week.  MCMC will submit an application to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services seeking the new designation.