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

SPONSOR Griego

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

3/2/2007

HB

SHORT TITLE San Miguel County Health Care Services

SM 60

ANALYST Schuss

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Memorial 60 congratulates San Miguel County for its establishment of a pilot project for

affordable health care to its uninsured persons without increasing government contributions.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

Senate Memorial 60 states that the San Miguel Board of County Commissioners has involved

itself in a multistate pilot program to benefit the uninsured and that pilot program makes

significant reductions in rates for health care services and yet requires no new state funds.

Through the system, employers and working taxpayers can budget for health care costs at

affordable levels similar to average rates from five years ago and through the system, providers

are able to substantially discount their rates because they are guaranteed cash flow without long

waiting periods or administrative overhead and billing costs. The new program also creates a

high-risk pool of persons who are not currently insured through seed money from federal grants

and removing the most expensive cases from the pool reduces the costs for those with less

critical needs;

The Senate of the State of New Mexico requests that the San Miguel County Board of

Commissioners be congratulated for its dedication in finding and carrying out a multistate pilot

program that will save its residents money while giving more residents access to health care. SM

60 also requests that San Miguel County be encouraged to access federal funds to continue the

pilot program

BS/mt