Susana OK’s health care exchanges for NM

From Capitol Report New Mexico - New Mexico will take part in health insurance exchanges, a key part of the Affordable Care Act — also known as “Obamacare.” Barry Massey of Associated Press has the scoop: Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration is moving ahead to establish a state-run clearinghouse to help small businesses and tens of thousands of individuals find affordable health insurance they currently lack.
… “Overall, we never really wavered from the idea that it needs to be a state exchange,” Human Services Secretary Sidonie Squier said in an interview Tuesday.
Under a 2010 law championed by President Barack Obama to expand health care coverage, states can run an exchange, leave that task to the federal government or partner with federal health officials. “We wanted to build something that we think is unique to New Mexico and works for New Mexico,” said Squier.
While some left-leaning states such as California quickly embraced the exchanges once the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, more conservative states have held back, with some state governors waiting to see how the election between Obama and Mitt Romney would turn out.
But this coming Friday (Nov. 16), states have a deadline to notify the US Department of Health and Human Services whether they’ll sign up. States may operate and administer their exchanges themselves or in partnership with the HHS. Another deadline is coming on Dec. 14 in which states must provide details for how they plan to set up their exchanges. And that could lead to a fight here in New Mexico.
According to today’s AP story, rather establishing a new state government agency for the exchange, Gov. Martinez wants it operated by the New Mexico Health Insurance Alliance, a nonprofit public corporation that provides access to insurance for small businesses and some individuals. The alliance is funded by an assessment on insurance companies. Read more

Susana OK’s health care exchanges for NM