In November of last year, the Santa Fe City Council unanimously passed a resolution urging our Legislature to pass a comprehensive health-coverage reform plan, the Health Security Act, during the 2009 60-day session. A total of 30 New Mexico counties and municipalities have now endorsed this proposal.

The Health Security Act was developed over a number of years after consultations with thousands of New Mexicans from all walks of life. It sets up a cooperative health plan that automatically covers most state residents in one large risk pool with comprehensive services — regardless of their health, economic or employment status.

HSA also guarantees freedom of choice of doctor and hospital — even across state lines — and shifts the role of insurance companies to provide supplementary coverage, similar to what happened with Medicare.

Our City Council unanimously endorsed the Health Security Act for a number of reasons:

• The health care situation is dire. Almost one-quarter of New Mexico's population is uninsured, including many residents of Santa Fe. Health insurance premiums are escalating at double-digit rates, co-pays are increasing, and drug costs are rising. Rising health care costs and lack of health coverage for so many New Mexicans create a heavy social and economic burden for affected families, employers, health care providers, all cities and counties, and the state of New Mexico.
• The Health Security Act saves money. Two different and independent New Mexico studies (Mathematica, 2007; Lewin, 2003) concluded that covering all or most New Mexicans under one health plan substantially contains costs and reduces administrative complexity and uncompensated care. The Mathematica study also revealed that of the several comprehensive reform plans evaluated, the Health Security Act was the only one that reduces costs and ensures that everyone is covered.
• Money for other critical needs. Since the Health Security Act will save money and decrease the percentage of funds that cities, counties and the state spend on health care, it frees up badly needed monies for such vital needs as economic development, education, and the environment.
• Careful implementation/go-slow approach. The Health Security Act calls for a careful, three-year implementation period. In the first year after the legislation is passed, the Legislative Finance Committee, with public input, will determine the cost and financing of the health plan. The Legislature and governor then must approve the financing package. In other words, the plan must prove to be affordable before the next phase can begin.
  In the second and third years, the plan will be developed (again with public input), with the ability to extend the time to proceed — or put on the brakes — should this phase prove not to be workable.
• Why not wait for a national plan? New Mexico is better off creating its own approach now to the health care crisis instead of waiting for an unspecified national solution that may take many years to become reality.
  The national plan will most likely turn the administration of federal health care mandates and monies over to the states when a national plan is put into place, so if New Mexico has a plan in place, we will be in good shape to incorporate federal mandates.
• Major public support. The Health Security Act is the only comprehensive health-coverage reform plan that has earned major public support. In addition to the 30 New Mexico municipalities and counties, 142 diverse organizations around the state — representing thousands of citizens — have endorsed this proposal.

The serious financial deficits that local and state governments face make it even more urgent to pass the Health Security Act this year.

We cannot afford to wait any longer for the only plan that gets New Mexico's rising health care costs under control and results in everyone having health coverage.

Too many of us remain underinsured or uninsured and now is the time to act.

Emily Lucero, LMT, is a health educator in Santa Fe.