Editorial: Move on with health exchange, but get it right
New Mexico wisely opted in favor of a state-run health insurance exchange under Obamacare. It’s important for people who know the state and its needs to be in charge of its health care, rather than relying on a federal exchange.
What we don’t need, though, is another giant bureaucracy that creates more paperwork and funnels people into pre-ordained plans with narrow choices under the theory they can’t make decisions for themselves.
But time is running out.
The exchange, part of the Affordable Care Act, is supposed to be ready to begin enrolling consumers on Oct. 1 and be fully operational on Jan. 1. It’s expected to take up to six weeks for any new exchange to get approval to receive federal funding for implementation.
Attorney General Gary King has said the governor needs legislative approval before starting an exchange. But that process has become mired in a dispute with political overtones and a difference in philosophy over how an exchange would work.
Martinez, who broke ranks with many Republican governors on Medicaid expansion and is one of a few GOP chief executives to go forward with a state-run exchange, favors a free-market approach to health insurance where consumers would go shopping online, research their options and pick a plan best suited to their needs. It would be run by the New Mexico Health Insurance Alliance, a nonprofit public corporation established in 1994.
One plan being floated in the Legislature advocates an “active purchaser exchange” in which a system would be created where “navigators” would be hired to help enrollees select plans from a narrower range of pre-approved choices.
In other words, it would form another layer of bureaucracy in the already bureaucracy-laden health care system and as a bonus reduce options for consumers.
A bill to create such a health exchange entity, sponsored by Rep. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, also does not require the exchange to account for its expenditures to the Legislature and exempts it from state procurement rules and the State Personnel Act.
Obamacare and the expansion of Medicaid mean substantial revenue will be flowing into the state. With no legislative or executive branch oversight, the lack of accountability is problematic.
The Martinez administration and health care advocates have spent weeks negotiating on Stewart’s plan, but a compromise version of the bill failed to pass the House on Thursday, although it could be revived later. Separate exchange legislation is pending in the Senate.
While any health exchange plan would require a governing board, an executive director and staff, the more streamlined the operation the less money that would have to be spent on running it.
And the more options that are available to consumers with their multitude of needs, the better. As shown by senior citizens in New Mexico, who each year make choices about Medicare coverage, individuals are very capable of making their own choices on their health care needs — without needing a government “navigator” to run interference.
Rep. Nate Gentry, R-Albuquerque, noted: “Of all the things we do this session, this might be the most important.”
He’s right. It’s time to get this done.
This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
But time is running out.
The exchange, part of the Affordable Care Act, is supposed to be ready to begin enrolling consumers on Oct. 1 and be fully operational on Jan. 1. It’s expected to take up to six weeks for any new exchange to get approval to receive federal funding for implementation.
Attorney General Gary King has said the governor needs legislative approval before starting an exchange. But that process has become mired in a dispute with political overtones and a difference in philosophy over how an exchange would work.
Martinez, who broke ranks with many Republican governors on Medicaid expansion and is one of a few GOP chief executives to go forward with a state-run exchange, favors a free-market approach to health insurance where consumers would go shopping online, research their options and pick a plan best suited to their needs. It would be run by the New Mexico Health Insurance Alliance, a nonprofit public corporation established in 1994.
One plan being floated in the Legislature advocates an “active purchaser exchange” in which a system would be created where “navigators” would be hired to help enrollees select plans from a narrower range of pre-approved choices.
In other words, it would form another layer of bureaucracy in the already bureaucracy-laden health care system and as a bonus reduce options for consumers.
A bill to create such a health exchange entity, sponsored by Rep. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, also does not require the exchange to account for its expenditures to the Legislature and exempts it from state procurement rules and the State Personnel Act.
Obamacare and the expansion of Medicaid mean substantial revenue will be flowing into the state. With no legislative or executive branch oversight, the lack of accountability is problematic.
The Martinez administration and health care advocates have spent weeks negotiating on Stewart’s plan, but a compromise version of the bill failed to pass the House on Thursday, although it could be revived later. Separate exchange legislation is pending in the Senate.
While any health exchange plan would require a governing board, an executive director and staff, the more streamlined the operation the less money that would have to be spent on running it.
And the more options that are available to consumers with their multitude of needs, the better. As shown by senior citizens in New Mexico, who each year make choices about Medicare coverage, individuals are very capable of making their own choices on their health care needs — without needing a government “navigator” to run interference.
Rep. Nate Gentry, R-Albuquerque, noted: “Of all the things we do this session, this might be the most important.”
He’s right. It’s time to get this done.
This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
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