New Mexico rural healthcare expansion bill passes state Senate
(The Center Square) – A bill that proponents say will improve healthcare access in rural parts of New Mexico passed in the state Senate with bipartisan support this week.
Senate Bill 7, which would create the Rural Health Care Delivery Fund, passed 28-8 in the Senate on Wednesday. The bill would create a fund to subsidize newly-constructed healthcare providers and facilities with either new or expanded healthcare services in counties with fewer than 100,000 residents.
State Senator Liz Stefanics, D-Santa Fe, and State Representative Gail Armstrong, R-Magdalena, sponsored the legislation.
It has support from Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
“The Rural Health Care Delivery Fund has passed the Senate!” Grisham tweeted on Wednesday. “Thank you to the many legislators who voted today to support this fund, which will make a huge difference for rural communities. It’s also a critical piece of our strategy to build up our health care provider workforce.”
The Rural Health Care Delivery Fund would help establish new healthcare facilities or providers. It would also let rural providers expand their services. The fund would receive an initial $200 million appropriation under the bill.
The bill has not yet come up for a vote in the House of Representatives. However, it also has bipartisan support in that chamber.
