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

SPONSOR Beffort

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/21/08

HB

SHORT TITLE Require College Student Health Insurance

SB 37

ANALYST Cox

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Higher Education (HED)

New Mexico Health Policy Commission (NMHPC)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 37 would require resident students to provide proof of health insurance or to purchase

institution-provided health insurance as a condition to admission to a post-secondary educational

institution.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

Senate Bill 37 does not appropriate funds from State of New Mexico funding sources.

Senate Bill 37 requests no funding for the initiative of requiring proof of health insurance and/or

health insurance for resident students in post secondary education institutions..

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

This Bill states that a public post-secondary educational institution shall not admit a resident

student unless:

Senate Bill 37 – Page

2

•

the student can provide proof of being covered by a health insurance policy or plan that

provides substantially the same or greater health insurance coverage than a health

insurance policy or plan generally offered to students by the institution; or

•

the student purchases coverage under the health insurance policy or plan generally

offered to students by the institution.

This Bill does not apply to a resident student who is provided health insurance under a

scholarship or other program administered by the higher education department.

The Bill notes that the higher education department shall establish criteria and guidelines for a

resident student to provide proof of appropriate health insurance.

The effective date of the provisions of this act is July 1, 2008.

NMSA 21-1-4 is applicable to this Bill, because it defines both ‘full-time’ and ‘part-time’

students. Hence, this Bill applies to both types of students.

HPC states that this Bill may help to contain student health care costs.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

The New Mexico Health Policy Commission notes that Senate Bill has a relationship with SB3,

Health Security Act, because it describes health insurance coverage for non-resident students.

SB37 has a relationship with SB38, Non-resident College Student Health Insurance, because it

requires non-resident students to show proof of health insurance in order to be admitted into a

public-post secondary educational institution.

SB37 has a relationship with SB39, Health Insurance Tax Credit, because it allows a resident of

New Mexico, not a dependent of another individual, to claim a refundable tax credit for a portion

of the Health Insurance Premium.

SB37 has a companionship with SB40, Health Insurance in College Scholarships, because it

pertains to post-secondary educational resident students’ health insurance that is offered through

scholarships.

PRC/mt