U.S. Senator Ken Salazar Member: Finance, Agriculture, Energy, Ethics and Aging Committees 2300 15^th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
For Immediate Release Thursday, May 22, 2008		CONTACT: Stephanie Valencia – 202-494- 8790 Cody Wertz – 303-350-0032
Salazar Statement on Inclusion of Medicaid Provisions in Emergency Supplemental WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the United States Senate passed the Iraq Supplemental, which included a fix that will delay the implementation of Medicaid rules that would slash almost $800 million in Medicaid funding for nearly 30 Colorado hospitals, and other key provisions. United States Senator Ken Salazar released the following statement upon the bill’s passage. “I am pleased that we were able to include a delay of the implementation of the Administration’s proposed Medicaid rules in the emergency supplemental that passed with overwhelming support today. These rule changes have the potential to decimate Colorado’s health care safety net and hamper our ability to serve vulnerable populations, such as children in foster care and individuals with disabilities. They would also have a devastating impact on the bottom line of several Colorado hospitals and their ability to serve all of the patients in Colorado communities. I will continue to work in Congress for a permanent and sensible solution, but the Senate’s action today was a big step in the right direction.” ###