New Mexico House Passes Healthcare Bills Including Medical Malpractice Reform
New Mexico House passes three healthcare bills, including medical malpractice reform, expanded loan repayment, and a ban on certain facility fees. All now head to the Senate.
The New Mexico House of Representatives passed three healthcare bills to improve access to high quality, affordable healthcare statewide. All three bills are part of the House Democrats’ comprehensive healthcare agenda for this session and each now heads to the Senate for consideration.
House Bill 99, which makes targeted changes to New Mexico’s medical malpractice laws to improve the climate for doctors and providers while protecting patient safety, passed the House floor by a vote of 66-3. In medical malpractice cases, a patient harmed by a medical error can sue the doctor or hospital to receive compensation for their injuries and related expenses. Currently, the maximum limit or “cap” for that compensation in New Mexico is $6 million for hospitals and hospital-affiliated outpatient facilities. In cases of extreme negligence or misconduct, patients may also pursue punitive damages against the provider or facility. HB 99 would better align New Mexico’s malpractice laws with those in neighboring states by establishing caps on these punitive damage awards, with higher caps for hospitals owned by large corporations and lower caps for smaller and independent providers. The bill would also raise the legal standard of proof needed to pursue punitive damages and require that the initial claim be substantiated before a patient can pursue them. HB 99 has 26 bipartisan sponsors.
The House also passed House Bill 66 unanimously. This legislation would expand the state’s Health Professional Loan Repayment Act to help providers repay their student debt if they commit to practicing in New Mexico for at least three years. HB 66 extends eligibility for this program to a much wider list of healthcare providers and increases the amounts provided to physicians to $75,000 per year in return for four years of service in the state.
Additionally, the House passed House Bill 306 unanimously, which would create the Fair Pricing for Routine Medical Care Act to protect New Mexicans from unnecessary medical charges. HB 306 prohibits hospitals and health systems from charging a facility fee for telehealth appointments or for preventive healthcare services or vaccinations provided in an outpatient facility, and adds new requirements to increase transparency in pricing.