Better health care access will create healthy communities

Few things are as fundamental to a family’s ability to thrive as accessible, affordable health care. As leaders who represent communities that often struggle with access to health care, we are concerned that nearly 6 in 10 New Mexicans have sacrificed treatment or medication due to the cost, and more than 240,000 people in our state are uninsured. However, we have made key progress in recent years, and with continued momentum to increase health insurance coverage, we can secure a healthier, stronger future.

A watershed moment came in 2021 when a coalition of advocates, health care providers and lawmakers successfully established the state’s Health Care Affordability Fund. Through a new funding mechanism, New Mexico was able to bring over $115 million to help small businesses and working families access insurance on the state’s Affordable Care Act health insurance exchange (beWellNM).

In just three years, the fund has proved to be an incredible success, leading to the highest-ever health insurance exchange enrollment in our state’s history. There are now 57,000 New Mexicans enrolled in coverage through the exchange, a 38% increase year over year.

To date, the Health Care Affordability Fund has launched programs that have lowered costs for low-income families and Native Americans, with 43% of those enrolled now paying under $10 per month. It has also decreased premiums for small-business owners who offer coverage to staff, with 6,000 small businesses and 41,000 employees benefiting from the program each month, saving a total of $45 million. These programs also benefit health care providers by ensuring the patients walking through their doors have access to insurance coverage.

This funding, however, was scheduled to drop dramatically this year, jeopardizing access to affordable plans for tens of thousands of New Mexicans. That’s why this year we sponsored House Bill 7, which prevented a permanent cut to the fund so we don’t roll back this vital coverage at the very moment we should be increasing access.

We are proud that this legislation has now been signed into law by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Thousands of hardworking New Mexicans, local business owners and health care providers will feel its benefits every month.

We have made critical progress, but we must continue our efforts to ensure every New Mexican can obtain health insurance. In 2023, we co-sponsored legislation to study Medicaid Forward, a proposal to provide quality, affordable health care plans on an income-based sliding scale. This would offer another option for folks who earn too much to qualify for standard Medicaid but struggle to afford traditional insurance.

Early research indicates the program would cut New Mexico’s uninsured rate by over half while driving down costs for patients, providers and employers. We will be back next session with full results from the study and recommendations on how to implement this program to support families working their way into the middle class.

By ensuring access to health care for all New Mexican families, we can improve public health, cut our state’s uninsured rate and reduce costs for everyone. Taking care of one another is part of who we are as New Mexicans, but it also has widespread benefits that will continue to drive our state and our families forward.