Can the Legislature Bring Health Security to New Mexico?

By Emily Esterson, 2-28-07

About 414,000 New Mexicans are without health insurance. That’s 22 percent of the population (2005 numbers). Eighty Eight percent of New Mexico employers are considered small, and 41 percent of those do not offer coverage (statistics thanks to Insure New Mexico).

Here are even more statistics, courtesy the Health Security of New Mexico website: 25 percent of the population (working people and their dependents) have no medical insurance because workers and/or their employers can’t afford it.  An approximate additional 20 percent are “underinsured”: a significant medical event could lead to financial ruin.  It is also estimated that 50 percent of personal bankruptcies are the consequences of major illness.

A bill currently floating in the legislature would insure all New Mexicans, save those with government provided health insurance. The plan is thoughtful and seems to cover quite a few of the normal questions that arise when talking universal coverage: who will pay for it, how will it be administered, who will be eligible. The plan also takes into consideration the shortage of health care in rural areas as well as the paperwork nightmare that physicians and other providers face every single day. One insurance company to submit to, no hassles. Sen. Carlos Cisneros introduced the Health Security Act, and a companion bill to finance the preliminary stages of the program (SB720 and SB721, respectively. Senate Judiciary issues a DO PASS on the bill, and the fiscal impact report was positive, noting that the Legislative Finance Committee take action on the funding next year. Twenty Four counties and cities have requested the legislature pass the act. If it passes, however, it would subject all health care providers to state control.

Still, something needs to be done. Overall, the U.S. has an indigent or under-insured rate of about 15.9 percent. New Mexico’s high incidence of uninsured has various downstream impacts—lack of preventive care in the first place, catastrophic injuries causing economic hardship, and so forth. For the legislature to take action on a bold initiative such as the Health Security Act would be landmark indeed. The companion bill is scheduled to be heard tomorrow in the house: HB1222. SB720 is on hold for now while the legislature focuses on the budget.