I've noticed that whenever a snowstorm hits Santa Fe, there's always a bright side - bringing a community together. Helping your neighbor dig out their car or shovel their sidewalk, a good blizzard can bring us closer to one another.
This spirit seemed to be alive and well in the Senate this weekend as we made significant strides toward achieving meaningful health insurance reform.
Very early this morning we held an important vote on a package of amendments to the Senate health reform bill that will strengthen the legislation and benefit New Mexico, and I'm proud to have proposed some of these amendments.
Important provisions for New Mexico include:
- More competition in the system by providing a national non-profit insurance plan
- Improved access to preventive care by expanding training programs for physicians in primary care and public health
- Better rural health care options by analyzing telehealth systems for medically underserved areas
- Reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act
- Help for small businesses to provide prevention and wellness coverage for employees
The bill isn't perfect, but these amendments have significantly improved the legislation and I see it as a solid foundation for fixing our broken health care system.
