Exchange board needs good consumer voices

With so much happening as New Mexico strives to make the new health care law work for our state, it is easy to get lost in all of the policy debates and logistical discussions.

However, it is important to take a step back and make sure that new programs connecting New Mexicans to health insurance have built-in support that will ensure that people in our state get the high-quality, affordable health care coverage they need.

At the Southwest Women’s Law Center, we recently surveyed over 60 community-based health clinics and other community organizations and leaders across the state to seek input about the support that is needed to enroll people in health care plans. These groups consistently reported that the people they serve who need help fall into three key areas: (1) understanding what health care options are available to them; (2) filling out the sometimes complicated paperwork; and (3) overcoming challenges such as language barriers and meeting the needs of people with disabilities.

Therefore, it is vitally important that New Mexico’s health care marketplace, also known as the Exchange, has a strong system in place for people to get the help they need to access and make good choices about their health care coverage.

The Affordable Care Act, commonly known as “Obamacare,” carves out a critical role for consumer assistance and provides for in-person assistance programs to help people enroll in health insurance coverage. In-person assisters programs provide free, one-on-one support to people as they choose and enroll in a plan that is right for them. In-person assisters can be guides, making the process of choosing a health insurance plan less confusing and overwhelming by helping people understand the coverage available to them.

In-person assistance programs can help New Mexicans get information on their options of health care plans and choose a plan that is the best and most cost-effective for their families. They can also let consumers know if they qualify for Medicaid or tax credits that can help pay for their coverage. Most importantly, in-person assisters will be trained to be impartial and act in interest of the consumer needing their help and not the interest of any particular health insurance company.

As many as 200,000 or more New Mexicans will buy their health insurance through the state’s exchange. The state is responsible for developing user-friendly in-person assistance programs to help New Mexicans access health care.

Senate Bill 221, recently passed by the New Mexico Legislature, creates an in-person assistance program through the New Mexico Exchange. The board of this exchange has a direct hand in shaping the future of our state’s consumer assistance programs.

Now that the governor has signed the exchange bill, we must all raise our voices and insist that our legislators and the governor appoint members to the exchange board who have strong consumer voices. The future of New Mexico’s consumer assistance programs depends on it.