Issue Position: Improving Healthcare

Issue Position

Affordable, Accessible Healthcare
New Mexico is blessed with one of the best and healthiest places to live in the country. Our air is clean, the natural beauty of the state is unparalleled and our social diversity fills our society with a vitality that is special among all the states.

New Mexico is a healthy place to live but health care is not always accessible in some remote areas and is expensive in the urban areas. Health insurance is not always available and uninsured illness can financially devastate a family.

My pledge for the new beginning is to meet these challenges head on to improve access to health care in every corner of the state and to provide competitive markets where insurance is available and affordable.

Medicaid
New Mexico faces a problem with almost half of our population (905,000 people out of a population of about 2 million people) on Medicaid.

Many times, people who really need the support have trouble getting it because the system is overwhelmed. My commitment is to see that every case is reviewed for accuracy. Those who are gaming the system will be removed. Able-bodied people without children will have a work requirement. That way, the system can be focused on providing quality service for those who truly need it.

Life
The founding fathers organized this country around the concepts of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; life being the first of those.

One of the most important functions of a government is to speak for those who have no political power, who essentially have no voice, the mentally ill, the poor and others who tend to be overlooked in society. Those with the least voice are the unborn.

As governor, I will enforce the law of the land and ensure that institutions in the state are abiding by the law. I will also seek to bring the citizens of the state to the point of agreement that the unborn should be protected under the Constitution the same as all lives are protected.

Human Dignity
In all the discussions about life, the people who are experiencing their last years should receive equal respect and protection under the law.

Insurance
Encourage employers to provide health insurance by allowing a tax credit for employees who work less than 20 hours per week.

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