Health Security Plan wrong for NM

Health care costs will skyrocket, while actual care will suffer

Across New Mexico, our families, our small businesses and our state’s economy continue to deal with impacts of a global pandemic. This crisis has laid bare that there are crucial improvements to be made in our country, but one thing is clear: despite attempts to undermine it, the Affordable Care Act is working. It’s not perfect, but our current system should not be completely scrapped for an untested and expensive government-run system — the Health Security Plan (Journal op-ed, Feb. 2).

We can agree that every New Mexico family deserves high-quality, affordable health care and access to the doctors and treatments they need. We must continue to work to make this a reality. We’ve made huge strides, and we’ve come too far to start over.

I grew up in Toronto and have many family members who still live in Canada. I know first-hand the potential our American health care system has to be great, and what a less developed system of care could mean.

Recently, a family member in Canada found a lesion on her lung. It took more than four emotionally agonizing weeks to schedule a biopsy. Compare to another family member living in the United States, who needed urgent surgery and was scheduled in less than a week.

Under the Health Security Plan, not only will care likely be worse, but it will also be more expensive. One recent study found it could cost New Mexico nearly $7 billion. Maybe this is why other states that have considered similar plans gave them up early on — because the costs are impossibly high. These costs would fall on the backs of the very same New Mexico families and businesses that are struggling. Income taxes, payroll taxes — it’s going to take it all to make up this cost, and there’s simply no way we can afford it.

Through this pandemic, I am choosing to be optimistic. There is a brighter future ahead. I am, however, apprehensive. Our company employs and offers insurance to 38 full-time employees. While business has slowed, I’m grateful we have been able to maintain our full staff during the pandemic. However, if our payroll taxes were to increase, if the cost of providing health care to our employees were to increase, it could be a different story.

We need to recommit to reliable health care through the ACA and improve on what’s working. The Health Security Plan is not the right path for New Mexico.