Now that the dust has really settled on the
2007 legislative session…. It’s back to the neighborhood, my usual day job
as a PR consultant (anyone need any help in this regard?) and the prospect
of an intense interim session focused on health care, ethics, and campaign
finance reform (that’s right--it just won’t go away).
Health Care Reform
The Health and Human Services
Committee, which I will chair, will be pouring over various proposals for
universal health coverage, and I’ve spent the past several weeks attending
meetings about this, including the NM First Town Hall on Health Care and the
Health Care Coverage Task force, which has been meeting since last summer. The
Task Force is getting the results of the independent study of three different
models for health care coverage on May 16th at CNM’s Workforce
Development Center near the corner of I-25 and Alameda. The final results will
be presented at the state Capitol on June 21. Come if you can. There’s always a
public comment period.
The results of the
study will show the costs of covering the uninsured in New Mexico (over 400, 000
of ‘em) through various mechanisms ranging from giving them vouchers and
requiring them to buy their own insurance on the open market to expanding state
programs to include new groups of uninsured, to creating a large risk pool with
a single benefit package and sliding scale premiums.
In spite of a front
page article in the Journal today (5/7/07) entitled “Slow Progress on Statewide
Health Care” I feel much more hopeful about the prospect s of reform than I have
in a long time. And, in dealing with such a complex subject, it’s important to
keep the faith that things can get better. Inaction has its costs, too—which
the study will estimate. Recently, at the NM First Town Hall and elsewhere,
we’ve been given plenty of reasons to leave things alone—i.e. increasing the
number of people in New Mexico with insurance will exacerbate the shortage of
health care providers in rural areas, coverage for everyone will mean that some
people will have to pay more, and…. there’s no guarantee that costs will
decrease.
Yep…. That’s all
possible… but not a reason to do nothing. Health care premiums are eating up a
larger and larger share of middle class income (not to mention the
disproportionately large share low-income workers pay), heath care clinics and
emergency rooms are strained to the max, and health care disparities between
ethnic and income groups are increasing. That’s why we need comprehensive
reform. And this is our window of opportunity.
| "Health care premiums are eating up a larger and larger share of
middle class income ..., heath care clinics and emergency rooms are
strained to the max, and health care disparities between ethnic and
income groups are increasing. That’s why we need comprehensive
reform.
And this is our window of opportunity." |
The Health and Human
Services Committee, which I chair this year, will be dealing with all this
through the summer and fall, so stay tuned. You can get the schedule for this
and other interim legislative committees at
www.legis.state.nm.us, once we get rolling – sometime in June.
Meanwhile, if you
want good snapshot of NM’s health situation and its prospects for reform, go to
the New Mexico First web site at
www.nmfirst.org. Then click on the box about the recent town hall,
“Strengthening New Mexico Health Care.” There’s a button called “report,” which
will allows you to read and print out the issue guide. It’s the clearest,
shortest, most objective report I’ve seen on the health care situation here in a
while.
Intern Wanted
Here’s a plea from an
unstaffed, volunteer legislator who takes her responsibility to deal with the
substantive issues (like health care reform, campaign finance, the environment)
seriously. I need help to do what I do. Sometimes it’s volunteers to help me
file, stuff envelopes (you wouldn’t believe the information I have to deal
with—it can be daunting), or answer the phone when constituents call. For the
past two years I’ve had great interns from the NMSU School of Social Work, but
this year, I’m coming up empty. So, if any of you know of someone who’s not
afraid of politics, can deal with computers and data bases, likes to solve
problems for people and wants to learn from the likes of me—please send em my
way. E-mail me at dedefeld@comcast.net or call 242-1997.
The Sawmill is Gone…. Long Live the Sawmill Land Trust
Talk about the
dust settling. Last week the old Ponderosa Products Plant was demolished to
make way for a mixed-use retail/residential development spearheaded by the
Sawmill Land Trust. These guys are my heroes. Especially Max Ramirez, an old
style neighborhood leader who just didn’t give up when faced with serious air
pollution, groundwater contamination, and a deteriorating neighborhood all
around him and his family. Long before the words “environmental justice” became
politically correct, he was holding enchilada dinners and, along with other
neighbors like present City Councilor Debbie O’Malley, and current director
Connie Chavez, organizing the Sawmill Advisory Council. The fruits of his
labors are the energy-efficient, stylish and affordable housing, lofts and
workspaces, now dotting the landscape near I 40 and Rio Grande. Viva the
Sawmill Land Trust. (more coverage of the demolition and the day honoring Max
Ramirez at
http://prognewmexico.typepad.com/nmleftnright/2007/05/a_sawmill_commu.html .)
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