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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Papen

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/25/06

HB

SHORT TITLE Dona Ana County Indigent Prenatal Care

SB 193

ANALYST Lewis

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

1,200.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to SB 77 (

Dona Ana Uncompensated Prenatal Care)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Health (DOH)

Health Policy Commission (HPC)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 193 appropriates $1,200,000 from the general fund to the Department of Health for

expenditure in fiscal year 2007 to support prenatal health care for indigent women provided by

physicians and certified nurse midwives in Dona Ana County.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $1,200,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2007 shall revert

to the general fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

Citing a 1999 New Mexico Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System (NM PRAMS)

Surveillance Report, the Department of Health (DOH) reports that:

Senate Bill 193 – Page

2

17.8% of mothers who had a live birth in Dona Ana County had late or no prenatal care;

5.2% had an unknown level of care; and

only 50% of Dona Ana County mothers had the recommended level of care.

Inadequate use of prenatal care has been linked with increased risk for poor health of the infant

including low birth weight and prematurity, infant mortality and maternal mortality.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

According to DOH the SB 193 appropriation would require that DOH staff negotiate, execute

and monitor additional provider agreements.

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

The Health Policy Commission (HPC) notes that uninsured, low-income women will continue to

lack adequate prenatal health care placing their babies and themselves at high risk for poor health

outcomes.

ML/nt