OPINION: NMSOP won't stop fighting for the care New Mexicans deserve

The health care debate in New Mexico has become downright sinister. Our neighbors, family and friends are being pitted against one another in a harmful trap of publicly deciphering which patients matter more. Critical care, specialty and preventative appointments alike are hard to come by. And in the other corner, we have the smaller percentage of patients who have suffered at the hands of corporate hospital mismanagement and negligence, seeking justice through our courts. I hope you’re never added to the latter group. But if you are, prepare to be vilified by insurance and corporate CEOs, as they pay lobbyists to silence your pleas and “think tanks” to sow disinformation — to try and win at any cost. Costs they could use to improve delivery, but don’t care enough to bother with real solutions.

Too many people have experienced harm in a broken system, and it’s not just in New Mexico. While profit increases, corporate hospitals are cutting staff nationwide, putting patients and doctors in jeopardy everywhere.

At New Mexico Safety Over Profit, we believe in solutions that put people first. This exact thinking guided recent legislative work on interstate medical licensure compacts. We commend lawmakers who insisted on strengthening compact language to ensure proper screening and accountability before allowing out-of-state providers to practice in New Mexico. We know this will be most effective when paired with other solutions.

We must strengthen the workforce without weakening New Mexicans’ constitutional right to seek accountability when harm occurs. That right is not a barrier to access — it is a safety mechanism. That is why we will stand firmly against attempts to cap attorney fees or install caps for damages paid in malpractice cases. Plain and simple — these efforts will limit survivors' access to the justice system and result in legitimate malpractice cases going unheard, and survivors left without justice.

We’re also thinking about the best ways to recruit and retain providers — especially in rural and underserved communities. Even though corporate hospital profits are through the roof, doctor pay in New Mexico lags far behind the national average, exacerbating the issue.

Research consistently shows that competitive student loan repayment, housing stability, and support for independent practice are among the most effective retention tools available. If corporate hospitals won’t support their doctors, the state can step in.

New Mexico Safety Over Profit supports:

•  Robust student loan forgiveness for providers who commit to serving New Mexico communities.

•  Housing down-payment assistance for doctors practicing in rural areas, where relocation costs and housing availability are real obstacles.

•  Tax credits for independent physicians, who often anchor local health systems and deliver continuity of care that corporate models do not.

•  Passing laws to instate meaningful public and legislative oversight of private equity hospitals to protect patients and physicians from corporate overlords.

Corporate hospitals and insurance companies are already spending big this session to silence the voices of survivors harmed by their mismanagement and negligence. We know we can’t outspend them, but we will come to you with the truth and try our damndest to tell their stories.

Lawmakers need to hear from New Mexicans, not just corporate lobbyists and those doing their bidding. Please join us on the higher road this legislative session. Visit our website. Reach out if you have a story you want heard. Out-of-state billionaires might not care about what happened to you, or that you’re waiting months to see a doctor — but everyone on our team and in our corner does. New Mexicans deserve safe care, and we won’t stop fighting for it.

Johana Bencomo is the executive director of New Mexico Safety Over Profit and a Las Cruces city councilor.