Medicaid Forward can improve health, save lives
February 10, 2025With a new administration in the White House, there has been a lot of talk about potential federal cuts to health care. It’s more important now than ever for our state leaders to prioritize health care access.
Thankfully, New Mexico’s lawmakers have such an opportunity to help expand access to health care. They should seize it by implementing Medicaid Forward in our state.
As a physician, I see firsthand how access to quality, affordable health care can truly help people live better lives. Being able to see a doctor when a person needs to, and not just when they can afford to or only in cases of dire emergencies, means addressing health challenges before they get worse. I see patients who, with health coverage, can tackle chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, thyroid problems, arthritis, heart diseases and many other ailments early. As a result, they can better manage their conditions, keep up with treatments and therapy, and continue to live healthy and fulfilling lives.
On the flip side, many physicians also see the tragic consequences when patients wait too long to see a doctor because they have no health care and fear getting stuck with huge medical bills they can’t afford.
Too many of us know of patients with chest pain who delay going to a doctor because of costs, only to suffer a catastrophic heart attack, or the patient with abdominal pain that turns out to be cancer, which is harder to treat because it’s been diagnosed at a later stage due to delay.
Too many uninsured or underinsured New Mexicans are avoiding or delaying care until their health crisis becomes a health emergency. In desperation, they rush to an ER, which is the most expensive way to get care. Any care they get at this point isn’t just more complicated, but also more costly for the patient and for our health care system.
Medicaid Forward is a way to avoid this costly, inefficient and often ineffective method of care delivery.
House Bill 186 would start the process for designing, planning and implementing Medicaid Forward, allowing New Mexico to take steps so more residents can enroll in expanded Medicaid. It would amend the Medicaid State Plan to open the program to people who make more than the current income limit, establish an affordability scale for premiums and work with state entities to coordinate enrollment processes.
Essentially, Medicaid Forward means more New Mexicans can finally get health care and no longer have to delay going to a doctor, which can endanger their health and even put their lives at risk.
Just as important, healthier people are more likely to be able to work, get a paycheck, care for their families and contribute to the community. Physicians see this every day.
Whether successfully recovering from an injury or managing a mental health condition or recovering from a serious illness, our patients can enjoy the fundamental benefit of going on with their lives and pursuing their goals and dreams — all possible when they have access to affordable, quality health care.
Medicaid Forward’s impact will be far-reaching, with 81,000 uninsured New Mexicans expected to finally get health coverage through this program.
With Medicaid Forward, New Mexico families can finally get access to preventative, routine and comprehensive care, which are critical to the health and well-being of each one of us. With Medicaid already serving 40% of New Mexicans, Medicaid Forward will extend this lifeline to more people in our communities, in effect strengthening those communities.
Staying healthy shouldn’t be costly or prohibitive. For too many New Mexicans, it is. And as a state where we care for each other, we shouldn’t accept that. Physicians like me urge our lawmakers to pass HB 186 without delay.
Dr. Heather Applewhite, a board-certified family medicine physician practicing in Albuquerque, trained at University of Florida and University of Connecticut. She practiced in Florida before moving to New Mexico four years ago.
Originally published in Santa Fe New Mexican