[LWVNM Action] Health Care Compacts -Gov. Lujan Grisham requests lawmakers reconsider medical compacts for special session • Source New Mexico

[Meredith Machen]

We may need to badger our legislators to pass the health care compacts as
separate legislation or as a consolidated bill in the Special Session.
Combining all of the compacts into one bill will make the process much
simpler and faster. Since the separate bills were already vetted this
spring,  since NM may not change the language of the interstate compacts,
and since our provider shortages will be exacerbated by the federal cuts
and rule changes, we can’t waste any more time.

It’s past time to join the majority of states that already have them!

Meredith Machen

—

Excerpt:

New Mexico is a member of just one interstate compact agreement — for
nurses — and is one of only four states that participate in one or fewer
compacts. Earlier this year, lawmakers passed seven compact agreements out
of the state House
<https://sourcenm.com/2025/03/05/bills-to-address-healthcare-shortages-await-committee-hearings/>
with
broad bipartisan support, and said they hoped doing so would address the
worker shortage impacting patients and care across the state. All of the
bills, however, stalled in the state Senate.

The federal agency will close initial applications for the Rural Health
Transformation Fund on Nov. 5, leaving little time for lawmakers to approve
New Mexico’s participation, according to Think New Mexico Executive
Director Fred Nathan, whose organization previously lobbied for the medical
compact legislation, and identified them as a key element
<https://www.thinknewmexico.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/HealthCareProfessionalShortageReport2024.pdf>of
addressing the state’s health care worker shortages.

Choosing to bump the issue to the January session would put New Mexico at a
disadvantage and possibly forfeit federal funds, he told Source NM.

“Legislative leaders have an opportunity to maximize federal support for
New Mexico’s rural hospitals by working with the governor to include the
health care worker compacts on the agenda for the Oct. 1 special session ”
Nathan said.

Republican lawmakers have said they wanted to include health worker
compacts as part of the agenda for the special session in a letter
<https://sourcenm.com/briefs/nm-gop-lawmakers-call-on-governor-to-loop-them-in-on-special-session-agenda/>
to
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham earlier this week.

Michael Coleman, Lujan Grisham’s communications director, told Source NM
via email Friday afternoon that, “the governor suggested this as an item
for consideration during the special session, but lawmakers were concerned
there would not be enough time to deal with this in addition to other
pressing concerns already on the agenda. Given this new information, she
would respectfully request that lawmakers reconsider taking it up in
October.”

https://sourcenm.com/briefs/new-mexico-think-tank-state-risks-millions-if-governor-doesnt-add-medical-compacts-to-special-session-agenda/

—
Excellent op ed from ThinkNM link here.
Health care compacts belong in special sessionBy Fred Nathan Santa Fe New
Mexican29478975 Read more at:
http://enewmexican.pressreader.com/article/6839005291310204
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.swcp.com/pipermail/action/attachments/20250922/2947b4bf/attachment.htm>