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

SPONSOR Garcia, MP

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

02/12/07

HB 630

SHORT TITLE Hispanic Male Health Testing

SB

ANALYST Geisler

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$25.0

Recurring

General

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates: House Bill 629

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Health (DOH)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 630 would appropriate $25,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Health

(DOH) for fiscal year 2008 for the provision of health screenings for Hispanic men in the South

Valley eighteen years and older who have no health care coverage. Services include: prostate

cancer screening, and high blood pressure, glaucoma and diabetes testing. Services would be

provided through a public health clinic. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance funds at the

end of FY 2008 shall revert to the general fund.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation included in this bill is not part of the Department’s FY08 operating budget

request.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The South Valley of Albuquerque is an area of high need. Unemployment is 8.19% as compared

to 5.74% in Bernalillo County as a whole. Poverty is higher at 46.5% in the South Valley as

compared to 30.4% in Bernalillo County as a whole. (US Census, 2000 and Bernalillo County

House Bill 630 -- Page

2

Map Book http://www.health.state.nm.us/pdf/ABQ-Health-and-Social-Indicator-Map-Book-v6a-

e.pdf ) Access to health care for adults is often tied to employment and even those adults who are

working often are working at jobs in smaller businesses that do not offer health insurance.

Diabetes testing of the general population is not a recommended procedure according to the

American Diabetes. Instead, initial screening for risk factors might be a better approach.

Similarly, prostate cancer screening is currently only recommended by the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, US Preventive Services Task Force, and a number of other professional

organizations for average risk men ages 50 and older following clinician counseling of the risks

and benefits of such screening.

Once a health issue is identified, there are few options for treatment of uninsured adults with

acute or chronic care needs. In general, it is best that clinical screening take place in a person’s

“medical home" where ongoing primary care can be delivered.

ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES

The local public health offices do not possess equipment that would allow for glaucoma

screening, and these services may need to be contracted with local providers. Contracts may

need to be put in place for services that the local public health office is unable to provide.

The DOH Comprehensive Cancer Control Program does contract or provide for prostate cancer

screenings. However, practitioners would need training in the provision of prostate cancer

screening should this task fall to the local public health office.

RELATIONSHIP

HB 630 relates to HB 629, which would appropriate $25,000 for services for females in

Albuquerque’s South Valley.