Update on the Universal Insurance Coverage Task Force

Last year the governor and legislative leadership appointed a 23 member health insurance task force whose job it was to review 3 different types of health insurance coverage for all New Mexicans. The goal is to have a universal health insurance bill to introduce in the 2008 legislative session (or sooner if the governor calls a special session). The task force hired Mathematica Policy Research Inc. of Washington D.C. to compare the costs, financing and economic impact of the three models. The models include a single payer system, a voucher market based system and a hybrid market system. The committee met last week for two days with presentations from the consultant and much heated discussion. The single payer system appears to be the cheapest. The governor’s health policy staff person announced that the governor would not support a single payer plan. What he would support follows:

,1. Create a Health Care Authority whose purpose would be to oversee necessary reforms and develop sources of guaranteed, affordable and portable health coverage;
2. Consolidate all public administrative entities like retiree health care, public school authority and other health plans administered by State government (maybe including Medicaid);
3. Mandate that employers to do their fair share to contribute to a healthy work force. He has not determined at what size or employee number this requirement would be applicable;
4. Require that everyone in New Mexico be covered so that if someone is eligible for Medicaid they must be on it;
5. Keep the current private health insurance system but remove waiting periods for pre-existing conditions; create a statewide prescription drug formulary; and support tele health and health information technology;
and
6. Require providers to accept a patients’ insurance if they are covered by any form of public coverage (you must take Medicaid and Medicare)

Further details of his plan are not yet developed. The committee agreed that they would endorse specific concepts of what a plan should look like, but not support a specific plan. They will have their final recommendations by August 1.

The Health & Human Service Interim Committee will be reviewing any legislation as well as taking testimony on this issue at their hearing throughout the state. The HHS Committee wants to hear from health care providers as well as the public on their reaction to whatever recommendations the committee develops.

Whatever plan is developed into legislation may have dramatic social and economic impact on child care providers. A mandate to provide insurance for all uninsured employees will be costly. Please look for a HHS Interim Committee meeting in your area.

Check the legislative website at http://legis.state.nm.us.

Linda Siegle