There's no doubt about it, Gov. Bill Richardson says. There will "definitely" be a special session of the Legislature this August or September.

Some of those lawmakers who'd have to show up at the session, however, aren't too sure they want to attend. "I guess he could always have one where he's the only one who shows up," quipped House Minority Leader Tom Taylor, a Farmington Republican.

Jokes aside, though, not too many lawmakers contacted by The New Mexican on Thursday said they are looking forward to going back into session to take up a health care plan.

Richardson in the regular session this winter tried to convince lawmakers that the 400,000 New Mexicans without health insurance must have it by 2010. The plan, however, ran into roadblocks over cost, control and complexity.

Lawmakers whittled down the governor's plan to a measure that would have resulted in recommendations for changing the state's health care system by 2010. Richardson also wanted employers to pitch in to cover more New Mexicans, but that idea was also nixed. While the House approved a watered-down version of what the governor wanted, the Senate during the session didn't consider the measure.

Some say nothing has changed since lawmakers adjourned the regular session, despite a group Richardson assembled to work on a compromise plan.

Richardson said that group has made "slow progress" in talks about how to insure everyone and on who would have how much say on the Health Care Authority that would oversee the changes the governor wants.

But one senator on the "working group" said the progress hasn't yet amounted to much. "We've not been able to find agreement on any of the big-ticket items, any of the things that would cost money," said Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino, an Albuquerque Democrat.

And, Ortiz y Pino said, he's not too hopeful.

"If we met 10 more times before August, I still don't think we'd find common ground," he said.

Ortiz y Pino added that it's not just the senators on the working group who don't think a session now is a good idea.

"In the Senate there is no enthusiasm at all for it," he said. "I can't find one senator who wants the special session."

The Senate during a special session last year voted several times to adjourn without taking up the governor's bills, something several have suggested is a possibility this time around.

Whether the House is game for the session remains to be seen. Many speculate House Speaker Ben Luján will be able to garner the votes in the House to pass some kind of health care plan.

But that support doesn't look like it will be coming from the Republican side.

"At this point I don't think there's any more consensus than when we left," Taylor said. "So I don't see any reason to do it."

Senate Minority Whip Leonard Lee Rawson, R-Las Cruces, said lawmakers have come to agreement only on very minor points of the plan.

"I think we're making headway, I'm not sure its enough headway to merit a special session," he said.

Paying for the plan became a major issue during the regular session and still seems to be.

"I'm afraid whether or not the money is there," said Senate President Pro Tem Tim Jennings, D-Roswell. Jennings and others have fretted over an expected upcoming dip in state revenues because of the faltering economy.

The administration says it isn't proposing any new ways to pay for the plan in the special session. Its ideas to fund the plan include tapping into expected increased general fund revenue, increased collections of an existing tax on insurance premiums and getting contributions from employers.

While some advocates had suggested the administration try to pass just parts of its plan in order to take some steps this year, Richardson suggested he wouldn't settle for a piecemeal approach.

"I'm going to do the whole thing. I'm not going to be satisfied with just the Health Care Authority. We could have done that in the last session. I want some serious progress on health care in the special, hopefully a good, comprehensive package. If not, we'd finish in the regular session."

Contact Kate Nash at 986-3036 or knash@sfnewmexican.com. Read her blog, Green Chile Chatter, at www.santafenewmexican.com.