0001|                       HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 32
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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|                           LYNDA M. LOVEJOY
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0005|     
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0006|                                   
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0007|     
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0008|             FOR THE HEALTH AND WELFARE REFORM COMMITTEE
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0009|     
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0010|                           A JOINT MEMORIAL
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0011|     REQUESTING THAT THE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT, IN CONJUNCTION
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0012|     WITH THE NEW MEXICO HEALTH POLICY COMMISSION, DEVELOP A METHOD
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0013|     TO TRACK THE DISPOSITION OF WELFARE CLIENTS WHO LOSE WELFARE
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0014|     BENEFITS WITH REGARD TO HEALTH INSURANCE AND THE IMPACT OF THE
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0015|     UNINSURED ON INDIGENT FUNDS AND CHARITY CARE.
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0016|     
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0017|          WHEREAS, it is a stated goal of welfare reform to reduce
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0018|     dependency on temporary assistance funds and find jobs for
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0019|     recipients; and
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0020|          WHEREAS, recipients of welfare benefits also receive
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0021|     medicaid benefits; and
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0022|          WHEREAS, most recipients who find jobs and lose welfare
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0023|     benefits also lose access to medicaid coverage; and
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0024|          WHEREAS, an estimated thirty-seven percent of all New
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0025|     Mexicans have no health insurance and nearly eighty percent of
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0001|     the uninsured are employed; and
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0002|          WHEREAS, statistics indicate that forty-nine percent of
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0003|     businesses in New Mexico do not offer health insurance
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0004|     benefits to their employees; and 
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0005|          WHEREAS, any increase in the number of uninsured people
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0006|     will place a burden on the health care delivery system by
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0007|     increasing use of indigent funds and the provision of charity
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0008|     care and other unintended results;
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0009|          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE
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0010|     STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the human services department be
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0011|     requested to establish a task force in conjunction with the
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0012|     New Mexico health policy commission, the New Mexico hospital
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0013|     and health systems association and the New Mexico association
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0014|     of counties to develop a method to track recipients who lose
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0015|     welfare benefits in order to determine whether these
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0016|     individuals obtain health insurance benefits in their new
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0017|     jobs; and
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0018|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that an analysis be performed to
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0019|     determine the potential impact that the reduction in welfare
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0020|     recipients can have on the number of uninsured people in the
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0021|     state, on the use of indigent funds and on the provision of
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0022|     charity care; and
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0023|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the human services department
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0024|     and the New Mexico health policy commission present a report
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0025|     to the appropriate interim legislative committee by September
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0001|     1, 1998; and
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0002|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be
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0003|     sent to the secretary of human services, the chairman of the
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0004|     New Mexico health policy commission, the executive director of
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0005|     the New Mexico association of counties and the president of
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0006|     the New Mexico hospital and health systems association.
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0007|                              
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