Healthcare (Women's Health)

HB 279 strengthens privacy protections for patients seeking reproductive health care or gender-affirming care in New Mexico. It restricts the disclosure of health information related to these services, bans location tracking at facilities providing such care, and requires hospitals to follow updated licensing standards. The bill also allows providers to participate in the Confidential Substitute Address Act and imposes civil penalties for violations. These changes directly affect patients, healthcare providers, and facilities offering reproductive or gender-affirming care.

SB 70 creates a two-year universal basic income pilot program in New Mexico for pregnant individuals. It provides $1,500 monthly to eligible participants (pregnant people with income at or below 150% of the federal poverty level) while requiring home visits from early childhood services, health surveys, and prenatal care compliance. The program, funded by $80 million from the general fund for fiscal years 2027-2028, includes a control group for comparison. The Department of Health will evaluate financial impacts on participants and report findings to the legislative committee by December 2028. This is strictly a research pilot, not a permanent policy change.

SB 189 requires all group health insurance plans in New Mexico (including employer self-insurance) to cover specific reproductive and gender-affirming care without deductibles, copays, or prior authorization. It mandates coverage for abortion care, gender-affirming care, contraception (including no cost-sharing for required services), and establishes a special enrollment period for pregnancy-related coverage. The bill applies to most plans but excludes high-deductible plans until the deductible is met and short-term/limited-benefit plans. This directly affects insurers and enrollees by removing financial barriers to these services under New Mexico's Health Care Purchasing Act.