A law aimed at renaming the New Mexico Department of Human Services and adding departments from other states to unify healthcare purchasing, regulation, and policy is now at the governor’s desk. I’m here.
On Thursday, the state House of Representatives approved Senate Bill 16. This effectively renames Human Services to the Health Care Authority Division and includes the addition of other divisions from the State Department of Health and the General Services Division. The bill is set to be signed into law by Gov. Michelle Lejean Grisham, who backed it in February, and was first approved by the Senate on March 6, before receiving final approval from the House this week.
According to a bill sponsored by Democratic Senator Elizabeth Stefanix of Cerrillos and Rep. Elizabeth Thomson of Albuquerque, the DOH’s Health Improvement and Developmental Disabilities Divisions, and the GSD’s State Health Benefits Division, are within the scope of the Medical Authority Division. In addition, the Group Benefits Committee and Health Policy Committee will also be included under the newly formed division.
The passage of Senate Bill 16 follows the governor’s speech in January calling for the creation of new medical institutions to bring New Mexico closer to “universal health care.”
“By consolidating purchasing, monitoring, and health care policies into one department, we will leverage state purchasing power and other policy tools to make quality health care affordable and accessible to all. It creates a great opportunity,” the governor previously said.
A spokeswoman for the governor was not available for comment on Friday about when the bill would be signed into law. A final report is expected to be submitted to Congress by January 2024.
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