Health care reform at critical juncture. Your input needed ASAP!
Dear Jackie:
For years now the insurance industry has been blocking fundamental reform of our failing private health insurance system. If we are to finally break this pattern we need your help.
The governor, as part of his recently announced 5-Point Plan, has set up a 23-person task force, the Health Coverage for New Mexicans Committee, to study different models. The task force is expected to make its report available to the legislature in 2007. Governor Richardson also has made it very clear that he prefers solutions that rely on the current private market insurance system.
The Campaign stands at a critical crossroads. In fact, all of us in New Mexico must decide which of two paths to pursue. We are the ones who will live with the consequences of this decision.
1. Do we continue to design "solutions" that rely on a private market health insurance system that has a record of failure?
Or --
2. Do we do something fundamentally different: set up our own cooperative health plan that will cover New Mexicans regardless of their health or economic status, guarantee choice of doctor, guarantee a generous benefit package, and control costs?
Our Campaign needs your help to decide what direction to take.
1. Keep pushing for the Health Security Plan, which means we need your help to be able to successfully overcome the power and money of the private insurance industry.
2. Encourage supporters to contact the Governor, our legislators and other elected officials, and tell them that we do not want to continue pouring taxpayer dollars into a failing system, and that we want our political leaders to support the New Mexico Health Security Plan as the most realistic, best-crafted solution to our health care crisis.
3. Encourage supporters to attend the Health Coverage for New Mexicans Committee public input meeting on Wednesday, September 27, at the State Capitol and convey the same messages.
4. Choose a path that continues to support the private insurance system.
5. Something else?
Which choice(s) do you prefer? We need to hear from you as soon as possible.
Let Vickie know what you think. Call her (259-3256) or Dana (856-8359) if you need further information.
Thank you for your input.
Your Executive Committee
Eleanor Chavez, President
Max Bartlett, Vice President
Jo Beth Wolf, Secretary
Vickie Simons, Acting Treasurer
Below is a description of the Governor's five-point plan and some of our concerns.
The Governor's Five-Point Plan
In his July 20th press release the Governor stated that, "We can't wait for the federal government to solve this issue, we have to act now."
The purpose of the plan is "to extend health care coverage to more New Mexicans."
At the press conference announcing the five-point plan, the governor discussed New Mexico's "unique needs that make a one-size-fits-all solution problematic. This committee [the task force] will help find solutions [emphasis added] that will work in our unique state."
The first four points in the Governor's five-point plan focus on some immediate short-term steps that can be taken.
1. Expanding Medicaid eligibility
2. Additional funding to the State Coverage Initiative
3. Requiring state contractors to provide health insurance coverage and
4. Studying why some state workers do not have health coverage
The fifth point deals with his long-term strategy: setting up a 23-person task force (his third) to study different models of universal health insurance coverage. "The Health Coverage for New Mexicans Committee" is charged with:
1. Looking at different health care models
2. Selecting models for a cost analysis to be performed by national experts selected by the committee
3. Making recommendations to the legislature in time for interim committee discussions so that proposals can be considered during the 2008 30-day session
Executive Committee Concerns
In discussions at our executive committee meetings and in informal conversations with our supporters, the following concerns have been raised about this new development:
1. It is very clear from his public statements that the Governor prefers "solutions" that include the insurance industry (a "public-private partnership") and is not sympathetic to a single-payer or a "one-size-fits-all" approach.
Is it possible for this task force to come up with a recommendation for a different approach that does not involve the private insurance market?
2. We do not know which models of health care coverage will be studied. The Health Security for New Mexicans Campaign is submitting our model for review and inclusion, and models to be studied will be selected on October 19th.
Health Secretary Pam Hyde, when asked about the Health Security Plan as she testified before the Health and Human Services interim committee, responded that the decision was up to the task force.
3. The Governor's goal is to have legislation passed during the 2008 30-day legislative session. Is this goal realistic? If not, a special session would have to be called or any major reform would be postponed until the 2009 60-day session.