The state’s Republican Governor, Susana Martinez has spearheaded the online marketplace.
New Mexico, like all other states in the country, will have a new health insurance exchange in place before the end of the year, and within that particular state, the governor has spearheaded the initiative to ensure that consumers will be able to access the marketplace within the next 10 months.
These online marketplaces are at the very heart of the federal healthcare reforms from President Obama.
The goal of both the federal healthcare reforms and of the design of the health insurance exchange for New Mexico, is to be able to decrease the number of uninsured residents of the state and to do so in a way that is affordable. At the moment, one fifth of all of the state’s residents is currently without coverage.
New Mexico is one of the 18 states that have already chosen to create their own health insurance exchanges.
This decision was the result of Republican Governor Susana Martinez, who deviated from the strategy made by many other governors in that party and decided that the state would be taking on the health insurance marketplace, themselves, instead of handing over the control to the federal government or developing it with federal involvement.
Many – though not all – Republican governors have chosen not to have state based health insurance exchanges. The states that have opted to create their own health insurance marketplaces online are now facing a federal deadline for the enrollment of residents and small businesses that are seeking to take part in the exchanges. With this deadline before them, there have been a number of questions that have arisen in terms of government, law, culture, and overall healthcare access.
According to the Health Insurance Alliance (NMHIA) executive director, Mike Nu-ez, when asked whether the state is prepared, “It’s a tough question to answer”. That organization was selected by the state to assist in the coordination and development of the exchange. It is already operating a small marketplace that provides coverage for approximately 4,300 residents. He and the Martinez administration are hopeful that this experience will provide New Mexico with an advantage.