Healthcare

signed · New Mexico · House Mar 9, 2026

HM 36: NURSING SHORTAGE TASK FORCE

House Memorial 36 requests the New Mexico Board of Nursing to create a task force addressing the state's nursing shortage crisis. The task force would include representatives from nursing organizations, hospitals, nursing education groups, and high schools, and must identify barriers to nursing education enrollment, program expansion, and nurse retention. It requires the task force to report findings and recommendations to health and finance legislative committees by specific deadlines. This memorial directly affects the Board of Nursing and participating healthcare organizations, aiming to improve nursing workforce planning without creating new laws.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareCreates task force to address nursing shortage by identifying barriers to education, enrollment, and retention, directly strengthening healthcare workforce stability and access.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · New Mexico · House Mar 9, 2026

HM 31: HOME HEALTH SERVICE DISTANCE LIMITATIONS

This memorial (HM 31) requests New Mexico's Health Care Authority to reevaluate its rule limiting home health agencies to serving patients within 100 miles of their licensed location. The current rule creates barriers for rural, frontier, and tribal communities - especially those facing geographic isolation and workforce shortages - by restricting agency service areas. The memorial asks the Authority to align home health service rules with existing personal care services policies, which allow broader service areas, to improve access to medically necessary home care. It specifically prioritizes communities impacted by radiation exposure (e.g., uranium miners) and those on Navajo Nation lands. As a memorial, it does not change law but urges regulatory review to address access gaps.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareSeeks to remove 100-mile service restriction for home health agencies, expanding access to rural/tribal communities facing geographic barriers and aligning with existing personal care policies.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · New Mexico · House Mar 9, 2026

HM 35: PEDIATRIC PALLIATIVE & CONCURRENT CARE

This House Memorial (HM 35) requests New Mexico's Health Care Authority to develop a Medicaid state plan amendment creating a pediatric palliative care benefit. It would allow children with serious, complex, or life-limiting conditions to receive supportive palliative care - including pain management, family support, and 24/7 nurse access - alongside curative treatments, without requiring a shift to hospice care. The benefit would be modeled on a 2024 UNM study, including specific quality measures and payment structures for providers. This would directly affect families of medically complex children in New Mexico who currently face barriers to accessing coordinated care under existing Medicaid rules.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill creates new Medicaid benefit for pediatric palliative care, expanding coverage and access to supportive care without requiring hospice shift.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · New Mexico · House Mar 9, 2026

HB 47: SCHOOL EMPLOYEE INSURANCE PROGRAMS

HB 47 amends New Mexico law to change how school districts and charter schools cover insurance costs for their employees. It requires these entities to pay at least 80% of insurance costs for employees earning under $50,000 annually, 70% for those earning $50,000-$60,000, and 60% for those earning over $60,000. The bill also mandates a study on the long-term sustainability of these insurance programs and includes provisions for cost-containment measures in health benefit plans. This directly affects public school employees and school districts across New Mexico, shifting their contribution responsibilities compared to current law.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates increased insurance cost coverage for school employees, strengthening teacher benefits and access to health coverage under education-focused policy.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates increased employer insurance contributions for school employees, expanding health coverage access under healthcare policy.92% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRequires school districts to cover 60-80% of insurance costs for employees based on income, expanding health benefits for lower/mid-wage workers and aligning with worker protection indicators.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · New Mexico · House Mar 6, 2026

HB 306: PROHIBIT CERTAIN HEALTH CARE FACILITY FEES

HB 306 prohibits hospitals from charging patients facility fees for preventive care, vaccinations, and telehealth services starting January 1, 2027. It exempts critical access hospitals, rural sole community hospitals, and emergency department services (both hospital-based and freestanding). The bill requires hospitals to notify patients about potential facility fees before appointments and during care, display bilingual signage, and provide itemized bills showing these charges. Hospitals must also report facility fee data to the state's All-Payer Claims Database for transparency and analysis.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareProhibits facility fees for preventive care, vaccinations, and telehealth, improving patient access and reducing financial barriers to essential healthcare services.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · New Mexico · House Mar 6, 2026

HB 66: HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL LOAN FUND CHANGES

HB 66 updates New Mexico's health professional loan repayment program. It creates a Health Professions Advisory Committee to select recipients of loan repayment awards, replacing the previous commission. The bill requires applicants to be licensed health professionals currently practicing in New Mexico or to agree to relocate and begin practice there. The Higher Education Department will determine award amounts and administer the program, with new criteria for selecting applicants and allowing fees if recipients breach their service agreements. This affects health professionals seeking repayment for education loans in exchange for practicing in the state.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareUpdates loan repayment program for health professionals, strengthening workforce retention and access to care in New Mexico.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · New Mexico · House Mar 6, 2026

HB 38: WHEELCHAIR INSURANCE COVERAGE

HB 38 requires New Mexico health insurance plans to cover wheelchairs and activity chairs for individuals with permanent mobility-limiting conditions (such as paralysis, limb loss, or neuromuscular disorders) without more restrictive terms than other medical benefits. The bill mandates coverage equivalent to Medicare standards, including all necessary services like fittings, repairs, replacements, and instruction, while prohibiting separate cost-sharing or lifetime limits for these devices. It also ensures insurers must cover out-of-network providers when in-network options are unavailable and reimburse at in-network rates. This applies to all group health plans under the Health Care Purchasing Act.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates comprehensive wheelchair coverage without restrictive terms, expanding insurance benefits for mobility devices under healthcare policy.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · New Mexico · House Mar 6, 2026

HB 4: HEALTH CARE AFFORDABILITY FUND DISTRIBUTIONS

HB 4 adjusts how funds from New Mexico's health insurance premium surtax are distributed to the Health Care Affordability Fund. It changes the percentage of surtax revenue sent to the fund over time: 55% before July 2024, 30% from July 2024 to September 2025, 55% from September 2025 to September 2026, and 100% after September 2026. The bill directly affects the allocation of state revenue generated by the health insurance surtax, which supports healthcare affordability programs. This policy change modifies existing distribution rules without altering the surtax rate itself. The fund's purpose is to assist New Mexicans with healthcare costs, though the bill does not specify new eligibility criteria or program expansions.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill directs surtax revenue to Health Care Affordability Fund, funding essential healthcare programs through tax allocation. Explicitly increases fund allocation over time (100% post-2026).95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill increases funding allocation to Health Care Affordability Fund over time, reaching 100% after 2026 to support healthcare affordability programs.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · New Mexico · House Mar 6, 2026

HB 128: FIREFIGHTER OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE DISABLEMENT

HB 128 presumes that certain cancers and health conditions diagnosed after specific employment periods are caused by firefighting work, directly affecting full-time non-volunteer firefighters in New Mexico. It lists 17 cancer types (like bladder, breast, lung, and leukemia) that are presumed work-related after 5-15 years of service, along with infectious diseases (e.g., hepatitis) and PTSD requiring physical impairment. The bill shifts the burden of proof: employers must rebut these presumptions with evidence showing non-work causes, and medical treatment for covered conditions must be provided as if work-related. This aims to streamline access to workers' compensation for firefighters facing job-linked health issues without requiring them to prove causation in court.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcarePresumes work-relatedness of 17 cancers/conditions for firefighters, easing access to healthcare benefits via workers' comp.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentPresumes work-related illness for firefighters, shifting burden to employers and expanding workers' comp access for 17 cancers/PTSD, strengthening occupational health protections.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · New Mexico · Senate Mar 4, 2026

SB 21: MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT OPEN ENROLLMENT

SB 21 requires New Mexico Medicare supplement insurers to offer annual open enrollment periods for seniors. It directly affects residents aged 65+ with Medicare supplement policies (Medigap) in New Mexico. The bill mandates that each eligible policyholder receives a 60-day enrollment window starting the first day of their birthday month, during which they can switch to policies of equal or lesser value without health-based denial, discrimination, or preexisting condition exclusions. Insurers must also notify policyholders 30-60 days before the window opens about their rights and policy changes.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates annual open enrollment for Medicare supplements without health-based denial, improving access for seniors and protecting patient rights in healthcare coverage.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare