Medicaid Deal Too Important To Pass Up
Gov. Susana Martinez is facing one of the most important choices in the history of our state – whether to take the “Medicaid opportunity,” the chance to extend health care coverage to 170,000 of New Mexico’s uninsured. If she says yes, her decision will reduce poverty and change the economic landscape in New Mexico. If she says no, it will leave tens of thousands of us uninsured and without access to health care.
The Albuquerque Journal recently recognized the importance of the Medicaid opportunity in an editorial urging the governor to say yes. Starting in 2014, Medicaid can be made available to nearly everyone earning less than about $15,000 for a single adult or $32,000 for a family of four. With the Medicaid opportunity, for the first time, almost all New Mexicans living in or near poverty would have access to a stable source of health care. This includes tens of thousands of parents, low-wage workers, the homeless, veterans and the recently jobless who, until now, have had no viable health coverage option.
While policymakers had initial concerns about how much this would cost, New Mexico’s Legislative Finance Committee recently projected that the Medicaid opportunity will actually save the state over $300 million in the next seven years. This is because the federal government pays all of the costs for three years and then continues to pay at least 90 percent of costs in future years. That federal investment will generate new revenues without increasing taxes. The state will receive premium taxes paid by insurance companies, gross receipts taxes levied on federal dollars moving through the health care sector and income taxes generated by the more than 7,000 new jobs the University of New Mexico Bureau of Business and Economic Research estimates will be created with the federal funds.
With that kind of savings, nothing should stop us from moving forward. Anyone who has ever struggled with losing a job, worked for minimum wage or tried to raise a child on a limited income knows what it is like to live with the anxiety of not having health care coverage. And that anxiety is well-founded.
A 2009 Harvard study found that 300 New Mexicans die each year because they are uninsured. Countless more suffer from conditions that go untreated or have medical bills they will never be able to pay off. Medical debt is now the leading cause of bankruptcy nationwide.
Having health insurance means having financial security. It means less time off work from being sick and a more productive workforce. People with coverage have better access to doctors, get more timely care, and have fewer complications that result in serious conditions and even death. Children are also up to three times more likely to see a doctor if their parents see a doctor.
Some are concerned about what happens if the federal government doesn’t hold up its end of the bargain. But federal Medicaid funding is likely to remain stable. Last year, a Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that a majority of Americans oppose making any cuts to Medicaid as a way to reduce the federal deficit. Over two-thirds of Americans want to protect Medicaid when they are told a change could leave more people without access to health care services. Because of this strong public support, compared to other federal funding initiatives, Medicaid funding has a long, reliable history – and it’s likely to stay that way. And refusing federal funds would just result in sending our tax dollars to other states rather than keeping them here.
As New Mexicans, we feel a deep and personal responsibility to contribute to our children, our families and our communities. Last month, an Albuquerque Journal poll found that a majority of New Mexico voters favor making Medicaid available to 170,000 more people. So do numerous policymakers, community leaders, health care providers and advocates who recognize that it is simply the right thing to do. It is time for the governor to take this important step toward securing a healthier and more prosperous future for New Mexico.
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