Legislators to discuss health care

Monday meeting opens debate on key issue

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“It will probably be a combination of the governor’s staff and the architects of the plan,” said state Rep. Tom Swisstack. “What we’re about to do on Monday is get a briefing on the governor’s plan for in essence universal health care and what the cost of that might be. The briefing will allow us to ask questions to see what the phase-in plan is, because it probably going to be very costly.”

Sen. Steve Komadina, who sits on the interim Health and Human Services Committee, said he has spent between 50 and 100 hours working on the governor’s health care plan since the end of the last session. But asked what would be presented Monday, he said, “I have no idea.”

“I would hope we would look at all of the health plans that are being proposed,” he said. “At last count, I think there are five different bills. They’ve all been drafted except the governor’s (bill). The governor is still changing his.

“It’s something that we will no question look at very, very carefully. It could mean the financial ruin of the state of New Mexico if it is not done correctly. Or it could mean the financial salvation of the state.”

Part of who knows what and when may be political: Richardson and Swisstack are Democrats; Komadina is a Republican.

Swisstack said after the general briefing, information would likely be further discussed in caucus gatherings. “That gives us the opportunity to see what committees it’s going to be assigned to and hopefully start to ask some questions,” Swisstack said. ’That will begin to give us some idea of what we’re gong to have to do in a 30-day session.”

Komadina was under the impression that the caucus meetings would occur first, followed by a general session on Monday afternoon.

If the format and scheduling is unclear, positions on health care are not. Everyone seems to agree some plan is needed and it is going to be costly, but how any program would be administered and how much it will cost remains to be seen.

“Until we know what the final bill is, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to make comments. The devil is in the details,” Komadina said. “I learned a long time ago that until you have the final bill in front of you, you really can’t say if you are for it or against it.

“But there are some problems. In general, I think there has been some misrepresentation in his (Richardson’s) questions and answers,” Komadina said. “Things are not exactly as portrayed.

“There are several good options for how to make health care affordable and available. The state has spent millions of dollars hiring consultants, and the governor’s plan is not the plan the consultants said would do the best job. Those are the things the legislature will very carefully be weighing as we look at what may be one of the most important things that has come before us in the last decade.”

Said Swisstack, “Health care in New Mexico is in kind of an emergency position. We’re talking about a lot of people who don’t have health care and the cost of health care. I even hear it from retirees.

“I’m hoping we’re not going to talk about just the medical but also the mental health aspect of it.”

By law, the only things that can be considered in a 30-day session is the state budget, legislation introduced in previous sessions and items brought forth by the governor. It usually makes for a hectic session, especially as it precedes an election year where legislators want to make sure they get projects funded for their home districts.

Despite these constraints and their different views, both Swisstack and Komadina are optimistic something will be passed in the coming session, which by law begins at noon on Jan. 15 and ends at the same time on Feb. 14.

“I’ve come to learn that anything can happen. I’ve seen some of my bills pass on the last day of a session,” Swisstack said.  Anything’s possible, but what we might do is break this bill down into sections so at least you’re phasing in some of this, and the public can see that we’re moving toward trying to deal with health care.”

Added Komadina, “It just depends upon whether it is a good bill. I don’t think the Legislature’s willing to do something just so we can say we did something. We have a somewhat fragile system right now which we could tip over if we don’t do this the right way.

“Anything is possible. It’s very complex. It’s really complex. They’re not being totally square with people, and that’s the problem. And there are many of us who know that, most of us who have been on the committee working on it. That’s why the committee voted to not support the governor’s plan.

 “People don’t know. They have no idea what the cost of this is.”

In testimony before the Legislative Finance Committee last Tuesday, Human Services Secretary Pamela S. Hyde told legislators Richardson’s plan would cost $590 million over the next five years in new general fund spending, but new Medicaid funding and payments from businesses that do not provide commercial health care for their workers would more than cover that cost.

Two state Senate leaders, Democrat John Arthur Smith of Deming and Republican Minority Whip Leonard Lee Rawson of Las Cruces, said after Hyde’s presentation they doubted the bill would clear the Senate. Smith expressed concerns that the federal government is trying to slow Medicaid increases, and Rawson opposes the creation of a new agency to oversee the plan, in essence giving the governor more power.

Richardson has said the new authority is needed to oversee the budget, planning and policy of his proposal.