0001|                       HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 83
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0002|     43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
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0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
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0004|                              RICK MIERA
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0005|     
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0006|                                   
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0007|     
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0008|     
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0009|     
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0010|                           A JOINT MEMORIAL
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0011|     REQUESTING THE LEGISLATIVE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE
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0012|     TO INCLUDE IN ITS WORK PLAN THE PREPARATION OF LEGISLATION TO
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0013|     PROVIDE FOR PATIENT CHOICE IN HEALTH CARE.
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0014|     
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0015|          WHEREAS, it is a fundamental human right that people make
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0016|     their own decisions regarding their health and medical
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0017|     treatment; and
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0018|          WHEREAS, health maintenance organizations and managed
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0019|     care insurance providers are exercising more and more control
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0020|     over individuals' health care without regard for those
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0021|     individuals' rights or discretion; and
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0022|          WHEREAS, despite scientific advances and the expansion
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0023|     and enhancement in recent decades of health care alternatives
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0024|     and improvements in care delivery, most insurers still choose
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0025|     not to cover some treatments requested by patients or
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0001|     prescribed by their primary care physicians; 
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0002|          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE
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0003|     STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the legislative health and human
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0004|     services committee be requested to prepare legislation to re-
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0005|     establish control by patients of their health care by
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0006|     providing for patient choice and integrative medicine that
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0007|     makes conventional and unconventional medical care and health
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0008|     maintenance equally available to all New Mexico citizens
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0009|     regardless of type of insurance coverage or lack of insurance;
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0010|     and
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0011|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislative health and
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0012|     human services committee submit its legislative
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0013|     recommendations to the first session of the forty-fourth
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0014|     legislature; and
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0015|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
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0016|     transmitted to members of the legislative health and human
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0017|     services committee.
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0018|                              
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