ICYMI: ‘Health Security Plan Wrong For NM’

SANTA FE, N.M. – In case you missed it, Scott Whitefield, a managing director at Colliers in Albuquerque, penned an op-ed for the Albuquerque Journal, expressing serious concerns about the costs and consequences of “an untested and expensive government-run system – the Health Security Plan.” He writes:

Under the Health Security Plan, not only will care likely be worse, but it will also be more expensive. One recent study found it could cost New Mexico nearly $7 billion. Maybe this is why other states that have considered similar plans gave them up early on – because the costs are impossibly high. These costs would fall on the backs of the very same New Mexico families and businesses that are struggling. Income taxes, payroll taxes – it’s going to take it all to make up this cost, and there’s simply no way we can afford it … We need to recommit to reliable health care through the ACA and improve on what’s working. The Health Security Plan is not the right path for New Mexico.

A new statewide poll shows that most New Mexico voters are satisfied with their current health coverage and a majority do not support creating a new state government-controlled health insurance system, such as the proposed Health Security Plan. The poll of 800 likely voters in New Mexico, which was conducted by Locust Street Group on behalf of New Mexico’s Health Care Future, found that lower health care costs is New Mexico voters’ top health care priority and most believe that lowering health care costs for everyone is more important than universal coverage. In fact, 79 percent of New Mexico voters are unwilling to pay more in health care costs and 70 percent are unwilling to pay more in taxes to finance the cost of the Health Security Plan.

The poll also revealed that voters are deeply concerned about how a state government health insurance system would impact access to quality care (79 percent), coverage (73 percent), and the state budget deficit (71 percent). Instead, most New Mexico voters want state lawmakers to focus on the economy and jobs, which ranked as the most important issue for the state government to address with 64 percent of voters choosing it as one of their top two issues. Only 39 percent of voters believe health care is among the two most important issues for state lawmakers to address.

• To view the poll’s top line findings, CLICK HERE.
  
• To view Locust Street Group’s analysis of the poll’s findings, CLICK HERE.
  
• To learn more about New Mexico’s Health Care Future, CLICK HERE.