Who We Are

Established in 1992, the Health Security for New Mexicans Campaign is a broad and growing coalition of over 170 statewide and local organizations and thousands of individual supporters across the state. Our members and supporters represent diverse interests and include consumer, labor, community, health professional, human rights, faith-based, and environmental organizations; business owners; farmers and ranchers; and groups advocating for low-income New Mexicans and the homeless. Our mission is to establish a system of guaranteed, comprehensive, and affordable health care coverage for all New Mexicans.

The Campaign continually seeks public input on and support for its proposal: the Health Security Plan. As a result, the Health Security Plan has evolved into a New Mexico health care reform solution that is not an imitation of any other state’s proposal or any other country’s system. Legislation to set up the Health Security Plan has been introduced several times in the state legislature, and 37 New Mexico municipalities and counties have passed resolutions in support of Health Security.

Three New Mexico studies (the most recent in 2020) have concluded that the Health Security Plan will cost less than the current system and ensure that nearly everyone in the state has health coverage.

It’s now time to create the critical design elements that must be in place prior to starting up the Plan.

The 2021 Health Security Planning and Design Act set out to establish a transparent and publicly accountable process for developing the details of the Health Security Plan, following the extensive guidelines set out in the 2019 Health Security Act. While this legislation did not pass, the 2021 New Mexico Legislature allocated funding to the Office of the Superintendent of Insurance for the the Health Security Plan design process. In 2022, the legislature appropriated an additional $790,000 to continue this process.

Check out our blog for the latest on the design process and other happenings.

What We’ve Achieved

  • Since 2003, the Campaign’s membership has grown from 28 organizations to over 170—the largest coalition in the history of our state—and the Health Security Plan is supported by thousands of people throughout the state.

  • Since 2006, 37 counties and municipalities have passed resolutions in support of Health Security, from liberal Santa Fe to conservative Roswell.

  • In 2006, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., completed a study of three health care reform models in New Mexico: two of the models were based on the private insurance system, and the third was based on the Health Security Plan. The study found that only the Health Security Plan would save money.

  • During the development of the federal Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”), the Campaign worked with other groups around the country to make sure that waiver language was included in the final law. The Waiver for State Innovation Provision allows states to develop a different paradigm—like the Health Security Plan—to cover the uninsured and control costs.

  • The 2015 Health Security Act was endorsed by the Legislative Health and Human Services Committee. Just one committee vote prevented the bill from going to the Senate floor for a full vote.

  • In 2017, for the first time in the Campaign’s history, the Health Security Act made it to the House floor.

  • In 2017, the Health Security Plan Analysis Act (a shortened version of the Health Security Act that focused on the fiscal analysis phase)—passed the full House of Representatives.

  • In 2019, a memorial in support of costing out the Health Security Plan passed the full House of Representatives.

  • The 2019 NM legislature set aside funding to undertake a fiscal analysis of the Health Security Plan, which was completed in summer 2020. For findings, or to read the report, visit our Studies & Articles page.

  • The 2021 NM Legislature allocated $575,000 to the Office of the Superintendent of Insurance toward designing the details of the Health Security Plan.

  • The 2022 NM Legislature appropriated an additional $790,000 to continue the Health Security Plan design process.

    We continue to move forward toward our goal of putting the Health Security Plan in place!