Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
QCS Managing Editor
The federal Affordable Care Act’s first-year enrollment figures for New Mexico show the Medicaid supplement plans have proven more popular than the state’s health care insurance exchange.
In Quay, Curry and Roosevelt counties, the Medicaid expansion program, Centennial Care, has signed up about 5,000 users; the New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange (NMHIX) has fewer than 1,000, according to Larry Leaming, CEO of the Roosevelt General Hospital in Portales.
In Roosevelt County, he said, 1,300 persons have enrolled in Centennial Care while only 226 have enrolled in the state exchange.
In Curry County, he said, 2,900 have signed up for Centennial Care, and only 594 are enrolled in exchange insurance.
In Quay County, there are 865 enrolled in Centennial Care, compared to only about 100 in the exchange.
In eastern New Mexico, he said, some insurance exchange policy holders are reluctant to use their policies because they have “huge deductibles.”
In addition, he said, referrals to specialists or advanced hospital care in Texas are complicated by the refusal of Texas hospitals to recognize some of New Mexico’s exchange health insurance policies.
University Medical Center and Covenant Medical Center in Lubbock operate trauma centers that receive emergency patients from New Mexico.
Eric Finley, UMC’s marketing director, said UMC hospital billers do not consider whether a patient’s health insurance is from a state health exchange.
Lindy Lauderdale, vice president of managed care for Covenant, said Covenant does not have contracts with Blue Cross or Presbyterian Health Services, two popular choices among NMHIX policy-holders. With Presbyterian, however, she said, “we’re working on it.”
Statewide, more than 170,000 persons have signed up for Centennial Care but only 35,000 have bought health insurance under the insurance exchange, state websites show.
A New Mexico Association of Counties report shows that in March, NMHIX was expecting about 80,000 to enroll. In April, however, the estimate was revised downward to 50,000, and even that goal was not met.
“Given the poverty in New Mexico, I would expect the Medicaid program to sign up a lot more people” than NMHIX, said Sarah Nelson-Howse, director of operational support for Presbyterian Medical Services.
Presbyterian Medical Services is not associated with Presbyterian Health Services.
Many potential clients do not know they are eligible, and many don’t know how health insurance works, Nelson-Howse said.
The low NMHIX enrollment numbers concern insurance exchange officials.
The largest problem is awareness, said Linda Wedeen, NMHIX’s director of communications and outreach; it’s a problem the exchange hopes to correct during this NMHIX enrollment period, which ends Feb. 15.
The exchange is greatly expanding consumer assistance during this enrollment period, she said.
“We have 600 agents involved in helping people enroll and counseling them on their options at no charge.”
Advertising efforts include radio, television and print advertising, she said, and a special campaign for the “young invincibles,” young adults who often think they do not need health insurance.
Many potential NMHIX clients, she said are unaware they will receive discounts if their income is more than a third above federal poverty level.
That’s $15,856 for an individual and $32,499 for a family of four.
There are still 155,000 to 160,000 people in New Mexico who would qualify for price discounts, she said.
While NMHIX plans to focus on positives, she said, part of the message will be that everyone must be insured, and that penalties assessed through federal income tax bills are increasing for those who remain uninsured.
