Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that creates a Health Care Authority to develop a plan to provide health insurance to all New Mexico residents.

Highlights:

- Establishes the Health Care Authority board of directors, consisting 11 voting members: five appointed by the governor, five appointed by the legislature, and the superintendent of insurance. The secretary of human services and secretary of health serve as nonvoting members [sec. 3 (B)]. - Requires the authority to appoint an executive director that has at least seven years of management or administrative experience in health care delivery, policy, management, financing, or coverage (Sec. 4). - Requires the board to include at least one Native American, licensed physician, and nurse with a graduate level degree in nursing [sec 3 (J)]. - Requires the authority to deliver reports and recommendations to the Governor, legislature, and public by no later than July 1, 2010. The recommendations will include cost-benefit analyses of [sec. 6 (F)]:

- Options for comprehensive statewide health coverage; - The level of employer contributions; - Performance standards for health insurers and providers; - Quality of care standards; - Demographic disparities; and - Methods for increasing coverage of preventative, disease management, and wellness services.

- Establishes the Healthy New Mexico Work Force Fund in the state treasury, consisting of funds appropriated from investments, employee contributions, insurance or reinsurance proceeds, and other funds to pay for outreach and health care premiums or services through publicly authorized programs (Sec. 7). - Requires the board to create the following six advisory councils to provide analysis and program recommendations: a delivery system policy council; a cost containment and finance council; a benefits and services council; a federal issues review council; a health disparities council; and a Native American health care council [sec. 3 (N)]. - Requires employers with ten or more employees who do not offer a health insurance plan to demonstrate to the authority that they have provided them with pre-tax health coverage options (Sec. 8). - Increases the maximum limit of health care costs covered under the Minimum Health Care Protection Act from $50,000 to $100,000 beginning January 1, 2009 [sec. 15 (B) (3)]. - Specifies that the health care authority will absorb the administrative duties of the following programs: the health policy commission, the New Mexico health insurance alliance, the retiree health care authority, the health coverage programs pursuant to the Group Benefits Act, and any state-sponsored coverage programs provided by the human services department (Secs. 28-29). - This is a substitute bill sponsored by the House Judiciary Committee.

Full Bill Text