There are two bills waiting to be heard in committees establishing universal (or single payer) health care in New Mexico. HB 339 the Health Security Act has been introduced by Representative Bobby Gonzalez, and a companion bill has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Carlos Cisneros.
Ok, let’s start with the obvious here. It is ridiculous to be introducing economically burdensome universal health care bills in New Mexico when the federal government is considering their own “solutions” to the health care issue. The New Mexico legislature should just wait and see what the federal government is going to do next.
Now, let’s say you disagree with me here, and you believe that this is a problem that needs to be immediately addressed. Well, I can tell you without a doubt THIS IS NOT the bill to do it. Take a moment to read the Fiscal Impact report for HB 339, and you’ll discover something VERY SCARY:
The bill will effectively subject all existing health care facilities and health care providers in New Mexico to state control. It will require mandatory participation in the health care plan by most state residents other than persons covered by federal health plans, military personnel, and members of Indian tribes covered by federal health plans. It will prohibit the sale of health insurance in New Mexico for health care that is covered by the health security plan except for retiree health insurance plans that do not enter into contracts with the health security plan. The private sector would continue to provide the actual delivery of health care but will be required to comply with the rules of the commission and provisions of the health care plan.
In other words, this doesn’t just provide health insurance for the uninsured, this takes away our right to choose our health insurance policy providers and condemns us all to a government run system. Want a preview of what that looks like? Well, you don’t have to look any further than the level of care our neighbors to the North are currently “enjoying”:
Canadians often wait months or even years for necessary care. For some, the status quo has become so dire that they have turned to the courts for recourse. Several cases currently before provincial courts provide studies in what Americans could expect from government-run health insurance.
In Ontario, Lindsay McCreith was suffering from headaches and seizures yet faced a four and a half month wait for an MRI scan in January of 2006. Deciding that the wait was untenable, Mr. McCreith did what a lot of Canadians do: He went south, and paid for an MRI scan across the border in Buffalo. The MRI revealed a malignant brain tumor.
Providing health care for some should not mean reducing the level of care others are currently receiving.