Celebrating a Win
The 2019 legislative session was a game changer for everyone involved in the Health Security for New Mexicans Campaign.
For years, the Health Security Act laid out a simple "look before you leap" approach:
Complete a fiscal analysis of the Health Security Plan.
If the numbers look good, proceed with implementation of the Plan.
Because the NM legislature set aside funding to complete a fiscal analysis of the Health Security Plan, we now move into phase 1 of this process!
This 2019 legislative session brought one surprise after another, but the end result moves us forward exactly as actually passing the Health Security Act would have done.
What's Next?
It might be tempting to stop right here and savor this huge step forward for a while. But too many people still don't know about the Health Security proposal.
While the Legislative Finance Committee* is overseeing the fiscal analysis, we'll be busy educating more and more New Mexicans about the Health Security Plan. If you're part of an organization that might be interested in learning about Health Security, please let us know. And, of course, please keep talking about the Health Security Plan to people you meet!
Once we know more about the fiscal analysis process, we'll keep you updated on that, along with the Legislative Finance Committee's meetings, which are open to the public.
We'll also keep you updated on the latest health care developments at the state and national levels. While we were concentrating on the legislature last week, the White House released a new budget calling for deep cuts to the US Health & Human Services Department and for a repeal of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion, which has been responsible for dramatically reducing the number of uninsured New Mexicans.
* What is the Legislative Finance Committee? The LFC is a committee made up of senators and representatives from both parties that meets periodically while the legislature is not in session. Because it's bipartisan and bicameral, both political parties and both houses of the legislature have a role. The LFC will likely contract with outside experts to undertake the actual analysis.
Keep Health Security Going!
We’ve accomplished a lot in the last year, but there’s still more to do! Please support this important work with your donation today.