Incumbent senator facing attacks over health care bill vote in bid for reelection

Editor’s note: This is part of a series of stories the Journal is writing on competitive state legislative races in the 2024 general election.

SANTA FE — Martin Hickey is facing turbulence in his bid for reelection due to a single vote he took during this year’s 30-day legislative session.

Hickey, a physician who also worked as chief medical officer for Lovelace Health Systems, is the Democratic incumbent in Albuquerque-based Senate District 20 and is vying with Republican Wayne Yevoli for a new four-year term.

He was one of only two legislators — along with outgoing Sen. Mark Moores of Albuquerque — that voted against a bill exempting patients diagnosed with cancer, autoimmune diseases and substance abuse disorders from having to comply with “step therapy” for treatment.

Step therapy is a cost-control strategy used by health insurers that requires patients to try lower-cost prescription drugs before using a more expensive drug.

Hickey said Friday his vote against the bill has been distorted by critics, including a Republican-leaning political committee called Our Values PAC that has sent out mailers accusing him of prioritizing hospitals and health care insurers over patients.

One of the mailers features a faux Halloween costume of Hickey and the words “phony doctor” and “real insurance executive.”

Hickey defended his record by citing bills he’s sponsored to make it easier to access certain medications, while also accusing the political committee of lacking an understanding of New Mexico’s health care system.

“I have a record of passing things that have definitely reduced the bureaucratic struggle and the cost,” Hickey told the Journal, while also saying he plans to sponsor a bill during the upcoming 60-day session reducing prior authorizations for certain medical procedures.

First, however, he must fend off a challenge from Yevoli, an engineer who previously ran unsuccessfully for a Bernalillo County Commission seat in 2022.

Yevoli said he was encouraged by other senators to run for the seat and said he would rely on his engineering background to tackle crime, education and economic development issues.

“I don’t think we’re planning enough,” said Yevoli, who added he would seek to find bipartisan middle ground when possible.

While Yevoli has not been responsible for sending out the mailers attacking Hickey for his vote, he suggested the incumbent’s campaign donations indicate he’s putting “profits over patients.”

“It looks like his biggest funders are medical lobbyists,” Yevoli said.

According to reports filed this week with Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver’s office, Hickey has received $320,698 in contributions during this year’s election cycle.

His latest report shows large donations from several physicians, the Lovelace Health System and David Poms, the president of a California-based health insurance brokerage.

But Hickey said some of his donors are friends, adding, “absolutely no one influences my vote.”

As for Yevoli, he has reported taking in $124,767 in contributions, with donations from several GOP lawmakers and political committees affiliated with the real estate industry.

A scrutinized vote

The vote that’s prompted political attacks against Hickey came on a bill, Senate Bill 135, that ended up passing the Legislature and being signed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

During debate on the Senate floor in February, Hickey expressed concern over the measure’s costs and safety issues, including potential side effects.

He said it could allow dentists and physicians to write prescriptions for certain drugs, which he described as “wonder drugs.”

He also said people should be able to access the medications they need, but cautioned the legislative proposal would not make the drugs free for patients.

“There is potential harm in this bill with some people prescribing without really knowing what they’re doing,” he said.

Swing district with a Democratic lean

The Senate District 20 seat encompasses a swath of Albuquerque’s east side and stretches into the Sandia foothills. It was previously held for 20-plus years by Republican Bill Payne, before Hickey won the seat in 2020.

In its current form, the district has a Democratic performance of 52.7% — a measure derived from the voting in most recent statewide elections over the past decade, according to redistricting data.