SB17 promotes healthcare accessibility in rural areas. It establishes the Healthcare Delivery and Access Medicaid-Directed Payment Program, which aims to leverage approximately $1.3 billion in federal Medicaid matching funds. This program is designed to increase financial stability for hospitals across the state, with a focus on supporting rural hospitals at risk of closure. To receive full funding, hospitals must meet specific quality of care metrics and are required to reinvest 75% of the funds into healthcare services within New Mexico.
The New Mexico State House of Representatives passed SB17 on February 13, 2024 by a vote of 59 to 1. We have assigned pluses to the nays because this legislation is a blatant expansion of government. Instead of letting the free market determine which hospitals survive, SB17 props up failing healthcare facilities with taxpayer dollars, distorting the system and increasing government dependency. Medicaid itself is an unconstitutional federal program, as it is not authorized under Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. States should reject these funds because, as the bill itself states, hospitals must meet specific federally dictated quality metrics. Federal money always comes with strings attached, further entrenching government control over healthcare.
