Every New Mexican resident qualifies for some form of health coverage, and it is crucial for everyone to maintain quality coverage. The aftermath of the pandemic has left many without coverage and unsure of their options.

First, if your employer offers you affordable health insurance, you are not eligible for most other health coverage programs. However, if your employer does not offer coverage or it is too expensive, start by exploring your options below.

The first thing you should do is use Healthcare.gov’s online screening tool to see what type of coverage you might qualify for. Based on that screening, we recommend contacting the New Mexico Human Services Department, BeWellnm, or the NM Medical Insurance Pool to get help filling out your application. But if you want to sign up on your own, this blog post has some helpful tips.

Medicaid

Medicaid is a comprehensive health coverage program that is available to low-income U.S. citizens. If you receive coverage through Medicaid, all costs related to COVID-19 will be covered free of charge. If you were billed for testing or treatment related to COVID-19, you can file a complaint here. Medicaid eligibility is based on your household’s current monthly income, not how much you made in the past or expect to make this year. You qualify for Medicaid if you make less than the monthly income listed on the table below called “TABLE 1: Medicaid Eligibility.” When selecting your family size, include yourself, your spouse, and everyone you claim as a dependent, even if they don’t need coverage. If you have questions about whether or not to include someone when determining your family size, check here.  

To see if you qualify for Medicaid, select how many people are in your family at the far left of the table, then see if your monthly income is below the amount listed. If it is, you likely qualify for Medicaid. Even if you don’t qualify for Medicaid, your children might.

If you think you qualify for Medicaid, visit www.yes.state.nm.us 1-855-637-6574 to confirm that you meet the basic program requirements. 

Sign up over the phone: If you want help with your application call or prefer to complete your application over the phone, call 1-855-637-6574. 

Sign up online:Online Application

Fill out the application on paper:Paper Application

Need help? Call customer service at 1-800-283-4465 or visit this webpage.

During the application process, you will be asked to provide information about your household income. The table below shows the type of income information that you will need to share to get covered.

Source: Brookings Institute

Marketplace Coverage through BeWellNM

 Marketplace Coverage is available to individuals and families that do not qualify for Medicaid and are not offered insurance by an employer. Many Marketplace applicants qualify for premium reductions based on income and household size. These reductions are called Premium Tax Credits, and are based on your expected incomefor the year you are applying for coverage. For instance, if you were enrolling for coverage for 2024, you would calculate what you think your income will be for 2024, and the Marketplace will use that amount and your household size to calculate the discounts you qualify for. For questions about how to estimate your income and who to include in your household, click here.

If you lose your job-based health insurance, have a significant reduction in your income, or experience other qualifying events, you may be eligible for a special enrollment period to sign up for coverage. If you experience one of these events, you have a 60-day window to apply for coverage.

Remember, if your income goes up during the year, you should adjust it on bewellnm.com so that you don’t have to pay it back at the end of the year. You can also adjust your income down if you expect to earn less, which will reduce your premiums. If you gain a new form of coverage, such as Medicaid or job-based coverage, make sure to terminate your coverage through BeWellNM to avoid unexpected fees.

If you think you qualify for Marketplace Coverage through BeWellNM, you can apply, compare plans, and find resources at bewellnm.com or call 1-833-862-3935.

The New Mexico Medical Insurance Pool

All people who reside in New Mexico qualify for the New Mexico Medical Insurance Pool (or “the pool”) if they are ineligible for other coverage . You can sign up for the pool any time of the year. You can get premium discounts based on your income. 

Normally, the pool uses your tax return from the previous year as well as any Social Security payments you receive to determine eligibility. However, if you lose your job or have other major changes in your economic situation, you can give them an estimate of your current income and the pool will work with you to reduce your premiums.

If you think you qualify for the New Mexico Medical Insurance Pool, visit nmmip.org or call 1-505-424-7105 or 1-844-728-7896.

Fill out a digital or paper application:Digital or Print Application

Keep your employer coverage

COBRA allows you to continue the health coverage you had through your employer after you lose a job, as long as the termination did not involve gross misconduct. This option is available to workers whose employer covers 20 or more employees. COBRA is usually quite expensive and other coverage options, like Medicaid, Marketplace Coverage through BeWellNM, and the NM Medical Insurance Pool, are typically more affordable. Click here to see if you qualify for COBRA. For application assistance, call 1-866-444-3272. If you need more information, you can visit the following websites:

New Mexico COBRA Insurance - Health Care Continuation

U.S. Department of Labor: Continuation of Health Coverage (COBRA)

 How can I get help with my application?

If you want to talk to an enrollment counselor who is not affiliated with any health insurance company, visit https://bewellnm.com/Find-Counselor. They can usually help you sign up for any type of insurance, including Medicaid, Marketplace Coverage through BeWellNM, the NM Medical Insurance Pool, or Medicare.

If you want to talk to a broker about signing up for private insurance or insurance through the NM Medical Insurance Pool, visit https://bewellnm.com/Find-Broker to find a broker in your area.

Medicaid

Human Service Department’s Customer Assistance Center: 1-800-283-4465

Marketplace Coverage through BeWellNM

BeWellNM’s Call Center: 1-833-862-3935

NM Medical Insurance Pool

Office Number: 1-505-424-7105

Call Center: 1-844-728-7896

How do I avoid scams?

Unfortunately, some are using this pandemic as an opportunity to sell junk health insurance by misleading people about their options. Here are some websites you can trust to give you accurate information about comprehensive health coverage:

Hsd.state.nm.us or yes.state.nm.us

bewellnm.com

Healthcare.gov

NMMIP.org

Addressing the Digital Divide in New Mexico: 

Too many New Mexicans do not have access to reliable broadband. Health Action is working to fix this in Southern New Mexico.

Currently, 42% of the state of New Mexico does not have adequate broadband access. The good news is that planning efforts are underway to correct this. State councils, working groups, and collaboratives are working together on this project, known as the New Mexico Broadband Action Plan.

Federal and state funding has been reserved for this Action Plan which will be implemented over the period of five years. The covered populations under this comprehensive Action Plan includes low-income households, ethnic/racial groups, rural residents, persons with language barriers, aging individuals, persons with disabilities, the incarcerated, and veterans. Within these populations, youth and young adults will figure prominently as a high priority.

Included in this funded Action Plan will be community outreach, computer and internet literacy, training for jobs of the future, registering for family internet services discounts, and forming of coalitions to reach isolated areas.

Health Action New Mexico will be concentrating on targeted outreach and direct awareness-building among covered populations. You are invited to track these efforts and become part of them.

Nowhere in the state are there more opportunities for youth to get involved in jobs of the future, job skills training, and service to community like here in Southern New Mexico!

One great opportunity at present, are the good paying jobs at all levels of filmmaking. Southern New Mexico is becoming a mecca for filmmaking for movies, television, and documentaries.

Nowhere in the state are there more opportunities for youth to get involved in jobs of the future, job skills training, and service to community like here in Southern New Mexico!

One great opportunity at present, are the good paying jobs at all levels of filmmaking. Southern New Mexico is becoming a mecca for filmmaking for movies, television, and documentaries.

Another opportunity is the broadband infrastructure projects already tooling-up to bring internet services to all of Southern New Mexico, especially the rural areas not currently adequately served by broadband services.

Many of these jobs do not require a degree, but there are ways to start with mentoring, part-time employment, and on-site training. There are also good programs at community colleges to get more specialized training.

Youth have a lot of talents to be valuable participants in these jobs. We will be discussing these opportunities further at our Youth Goal-Setting sessions and on
our Health Action New Mexico website: www.HealthActionNM.org

Youth are the Future for Southern New Mexico! 

When COVID 19 hit, the youth were overlooked in needing and receiving
help during the crisis.

 When COVID 19 hit, the youth were overlooked in needing and receiving
help during the crisis.

 25% of high school age youth disappeared from enrollment in public
schools. Many of these youth have still not been re-enrolled.

 During the pandemic, youth were increasingly involved in alcohol and drug
abuse, involved in criminal activities, and youth suicides increased.

 HANM is currently directly serving young adults, 9th graders to post high
school with Youth Opportunity Sessions. These sessions are designed to
support the youth in identifying their interest, talents, and dreams for the
future.

 This project is becoming a model for guiding youth to develop goals and
action plans for success. Through this model, youth are building their self-
confidence and becoming engaged in beneficial activities for their families
and community.

 We invite others who are interested in this model to join with us in bringing
these Youth Opportunity Sessions to other communities of Southern New
Mexico.

 The future of Southern New Mexico will be based on all of us setting a
priority to support youth for their success.

The path to a successful future for families of New Mexico is through
broadband/internet services . . .

Under a grant from the Con Alma Foundation, Health Action New Mexico is
building partnerships with Southern New Mexico rural residents so that they are
included in the planning of their needed broadband infrastructure. 42% of rural
New Mexico homes are without broadband access. This percentage of unserved
homes is the highest in the country according to the PEW Research Center. A key
strategy in this project is to make sure that rural families are served in their
homes with high-speed, affordable internet services. 

By Barbara Webber / Executive Director Health Action Nm
Thursday, October 14th, 2021 at 12:02AM

New ad campaigns financed by the pharmaceutical industry are spreading rumors about direct Medicare negotiation — here's why those rumors are false.

Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN's Prescription Drug Watch roundup.

Yahoo Finance: HHS Ready To Battle Drug Companies For Lower Prices In Court: Sec. Becerra

Drug prices are once again in focus on Capitol Hill as lawmakers renew their push for pricing reform. And U.S. Health and Human Services Department Sec. Xavier Becerra has joined in on the effort. "We just have to all agree that this isn't working. Countries around the world are providing medicine to their people for far less than we do," Becerra told Yahoo Finance in an exclusive interview Monday, adding that often those same drugs are made in the U.S. Becerra made an appearance alongside U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ-06) and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) in New Jersey Monday at a multi-city event to discuss lower drug costs. (Khemlani, 8/17)

FiercePharma: Buckle Up, Pharma. Your Industry Faces A 'Pivotal' 45 Days In D.C., Analyst Warns 

If there was any doubt about the sincerity President Joe Biden wanted to convey with his appeal to Congress on drug pricing reform, he removed it by bringing his departed mom into the discussion. Speaking in the East Room of the White House on Thursday, Biden recalled that Catherine Biden’s “prescription drugs were so expensive” that it took money from himself, his two brothers and a sister to cover the cost so she wouldn’t have to “exhaust the little savings she had.” With that, Biden set the scene for what promises to be a contentious several weeks in Washington as Congress weighs potential measures to combat high drug costs. (Dunleavy, 8/16)

KVOA: AARP Launches Campaign To Lower Prescription Drug Prices

On Monday, AARP launched a three-week television, and radio advertising campaign urging U.S. Senators to support allowing Medicare to use its power to negotiate drug prices with drug manufacturers. The seven-figure investment highlights negotiation as a critical step toward lowering prescription drug costs for all Americans, especially seniors who on average take between four and five medications each month and have a median income of just over $26,000 a year, AARP said. (Nylander, 8/16)

WREX: New Laws Aim To Lower Prescription Drug Prices In Illinois

Governor JB Pritzker Monday signed a package of legislation that aims to address financial obstacles in accessing health care, while increasing transparency when purchasing prescription medications. HB 119 formalizes the legal process for donating unused prescription drugs to certified pharmacies or health departments. By establishing a prescription drug repository program, prescription and over-the-counter medication that remain unexpired and unopened can be returned to pharmacies and reused for eligible populations. (8/17)