My patients need Medicaid Forward

BEFORE THEIR legislative session wraps up in March, the N.M. Legislature has an opportunity to help ensure New Mexicans are able to secure affordable health care coverage. As a physician trained both in family medicine and addiction medicine, I see how health care access improves and saves lives every single day. Many New Mexicans have incomes that are too high to qualify for Medicaid but insufficient to afford other health insurance. The proposed Medicaid Forward program would open Medicaid by raising the maximum income limit. Medicaid is a trusted system that provides quality, affordable health care. In fact, coverage by Medicaid is even better than many private plans. In my role as an addiction medicine physician, I’ve had patients whose private insurance would not pay for essentially life-saving medications, which are covered by Medicaid.

Raising the current Medicaid income limit would allow more New Mexicans to enroll, and the cost would be offset through federal funding, which would match up to 73% of the program costs, while participants’ out-ofpocket costs would be based on their income. This common-sense and relatively simple program will make a world of difference for individuals, families and the state as a whole. Right now, one in 10 New Mexicans still don’t have health insurance. That means they’re putting off preventative care and necessary treatments, allowing health conditions to worsen and become more painful and expensive to treat. I’ve seen patients who suffered needlessly because they couldn’t afford to have a procedure or take a prescribed medication, and it’s heartbreaking. With the remaining time they have left in session, our state lawmakers should take steps to help make Medicaid Forward a reality and bring us closer to a New Mexico where everyone has the health care they need to live and thrive.

DR. MAYA ARMSTRONG

Santa Fe