Latest news with #NewMexicoHealthCareAuthority
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Extra SNAP benefits heading to New Mexican seniors in June
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – New Mexicans over age 60 and adults with disabilities who are enrolled in SNAP will receive additional funds to help buy groceries this month. Story continues below Trending: Rio Rancho High baseball player accused of urinating in water jug no longer faces charges News: VIDEO: Albuquerque man accused of killing 14 dogs denies accusations Environment: Researcher explains why earthquakes are rattling parts of New Mexico The New Mexico Health Care Authority, in partnership with the Aging and Long-Term Services Department, is providing a one-time food benefit of $68. This benefit will be automatically added to 29,444 individuals' EBT cards. Officials said it is part of the state's ongoing efforts to reduce hunger and improve access to nutritious food. 'Using state general funds to create extra benefits for seniors and people with disabilities is a great example of how strong interdepartmental partnerships can better serve New Mexicans in need,' said Kyra Ochoa, deputy cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Health Care Authority. For questions about the supplemental benefit, contact the Health Care Authority at 1-800-283-4465 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Take Care
Former Health Secretary and geriatrician David Scrase discusses New Mexico's aging population. (Photo provided by the New Mexico Health Care Authority) David Scrase has worked as a geriatrician in New Mexico for nearly 30 years, and served several stints as the secretary of the Health and Human Services Departments. He is on the frontlines when it comes to treating older residents and their caregivers. 'This is a growing, giant issue,' Scrase told Source NM. 'I always tell people…I never go into a room where at least 80% of the people aren't trying to figure out what to do with an older person in their family who's going through something like this. It might not be their immediate family, but…everyone is on the verge of, or in the middle of, or just past having to make these kinds of decisions about how to provide care.' Scrase started his practice in Michigan in 1981, relocated in 1998 to New Mexico and, he says, started concentrating on patients 75 and older in 2015. He also works as a clinical professor with the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. Source NM spoke with Scrase recently about his concerns over aging health care and caregiving. The following interview has been edited for clarity and concision. Source NM: What concerns do you have about the state of care for seniors in New Mexico? David Scrase: New Mexico in the year 2000, we were ranked number 39th in the country in terms of the percent of people we had in our population that were 65 and older. And in 2030, according to some really reliable projections, we'll rank fourth. NM Aging department commits to helping seniors age 'in place' and 'autonomously' in new draft plan Seniors, in general, use about three times as many resources as people under 65, and so you've got this more than doubling of the senior population combined with three times the use rate. So there's going to be a dramatic growth of seniors and need for care for seniors. There's also the fact that we have the number one poverty rate among people 65 and older, so we have the highest poverty rate for seniors. And poverty creates illness and complexity. In the United States, over 6 million people are living with Alzheimer's disease. That's projected to more than double in the next 15 to 20 years. And over 11 million people are caregiving for dementia patients and they're providing 15 billion hours of free care. And in addition to having to really grow our healthcare facilities to manage all the growth in the population and their use of resources, we're going to have an issue with caregivers. What are you seeing in your own practice? Typically, we see people with dementia either coming in with their spouse, who probably is about the same age as them, and they're in their 80s and they're getting progressively less able to perform normal activities or daily living. So the natural history of Alzheimer's disease is a gradual decline and, therefore, how much caregiving they need is a gradual increase. As we have more Alzheimer's disease patients and they have this decline, more burden is placed on the families. And so it's extremely rare for me to see someone in their 80s not get completely worn out if they're the sole caregiver for a spouse or partner. The most common group of people outside the home that become caregivers are, of course, daughters, which is about 50%, and then followed by daughters-in-law, which is estimated to be 40 to 45%, and so then the men get involved, unfortunately in the last 5 to 10%. And these caregivers, they're quitting their jobs. If they're from a big family, they set up some sort of elaborate rotation, but it's really, really hard to provide care at home for people who may be at the nursing home-level of care needed. That is an economic consequence to their family, to the country, et cetera, et cetera, because Medicare doesn't pay a daughter to take care of her dad. They don't provide any help when Dad moves in with the family. As a geriatrician, I'll have residents rotate with me, and I'll always say at the beginning of the session, because half of my patients maybe have dementia, I'll say, 'I want you to pay attention to, one, how advanced this patient's dementia is and, two, how much time do I spend talking to the patient versus how much time I spend talking to the caregiver.' And as people's dementia advances, I spend a lot more time making sure the caregiver's OK, that they have strategies to take care of themselves, that they can cope, because Alzheimer's disease, we don't have a lot of great treatments that really improve it. And if the caregiver collapses, then the whole system collapses. And so typically, the worse the dementia, the more time I spend with the caregivers. What concerns have you heard from other New Mexico practitioners? People are living longer and older people are becoming increasingly complex. I've seen a huge change from 1990. And so it's harder for some primary care doctors to manage the growing complexity of an 80-year-old's medical problems. If someone raises the question and someone has a memory issue, that's like a half hour of time that you have to figure out how to squeeze into a 20- or 30-minute appointment. And often it doesn't come up until halfway through and so doctors are scheduling people to come back for those assessments. But we're going to see more and more of it. What advice do you give to family caregivers? The number one thing is you need to take care of yourself first. And it's like you have this bucket of what you can scoop out every day of help to give to your loved one. And if your bucket's not full, it's not a long-term strategy. That's probably the biggest issue is getting people to accept the fact that to be an effective caregiver, the first thing they need to do is take care of themselves. We have these things called the Six Activities of Daily Living: bathing, dressing, feeding, moving around, transferring, continence and going to the bathroom, and when people need help with two of those six, they qualify at the basic level for nursing home care, and there's families who're trying to provide three, four, five, sometimes six things at home. And so if it's clear that the family members are just not able to survive this, then I'll recommend that they improve the quality of time they spend with their loved one by putting them in a place where trained professionals can provide all this day-to-day medical care and support care and they can go and have quality time with their relative. And then there's a middle one where they're not as bad as they need to be in a nursing home, but it's clear that we're on this downhill course. And I'll say, 'you need to have a plan B. I suggest you go out and look at some assisted living places or some graduated level of care places where you could be in assisted living and then go to a memory care unit maybe and then a nursing home.' Most people focus on the question of whether or not they want to go to a nursing home, yes or no. And I don't think that—particularly as people get sicker and sicker— is a helpful question to ask. I think the question is, 'Do I want to go to a nursing home and accept the pros and cons of that choice, or do I want to keep mom at home and accept the pros and cons of that choice?' Because there are consequences whichever decision, and that's why I think I try to work with families to say, 'hey, this isn't something you need to decide to feel guilty about. You could really focus on the quality of the time you're spending with your loved one.' This article was written with the support of a journalism fellowship from The Gerontological Society of America, The Journalists Network on Generations and The NIHCM Foundation. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
More than 90,000 NM residents could lose Medicaid benefits under U.S. House plan
May 14—SANTA FE — Proposed federal Medicaid changes being debated on Capitol Hill could lead to more than 90,000 New Mexico residents losing health care coverage, according to a state agency analysis. The New Mexico Health Care Authority, which runs the state's Medicaid program, also indicated more than 250,000 state residents could face new co-pays and increased administrative hurdles to remain enrolled, while citing an estimated $478 million budget hit to the state. The bill still has to be approved by the U.S. House before going to the U.S. Senate, where it faces significant hurdles from within the GOP. Republican Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Josh Hawley of Missouri are just a few who have expressed concerns about various aspects of the bill and an intent to significantly rewrite the legislation when it lands in the chamber. Republicans control the Senate by a four-vote majority, meaning that if they lose four votes, the measure would fail. But a top legislative official said the impact, while still drastic, could be less severe than previously feared in a state in which nearly 40% of the residents are enrolled in Medicaid — the highest percentage in the nation. In large part, that's because a Republican-backed plan to trim federal health care spending that's being debated this week in the U.S. House would focus largely on individuals who qualified for Medicaid under former Gov. Susana Martinez's 2013 decision to expand the program to more low-income adults. The federal government currently pays 90% of the cost for that population of Medicaid recipients, which represents less than half of the state's total Medicaid beneficiaries. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has repeatedly criticized GOP-backed efforts to reduce Medicaid spending, and said in a weekend interview on "Face the Nation" on CBS News that she would not consider revisiting the Medicaid expansion decision. Specifically, she said such a move would compromise health care access and quality of care in New Mexico. "This is very simply an effort to destroy health care as we know it, to rip it away for everyday Americans," Lujan Grisham said during her national TV appearance, referring to the U.S. House plan that includes much of President Donald Trump's agenda. But the governor also indicated the likelihood of wasteful spending in the state's health care system, which could be scrutinized in the coming months. She also cited the recent creation of new Medicaid and behavioral health trust funds, which are intended to provide future funding to maintain state services for low-income residents and those dealing with mental health and substance abuse issues. New Mexico's Medicaid reliance New Mexico's overall Medicaid enrollment has declined over the last two years after nearly doubling over the previous 12 years — from about 540,000 people in 2011 to more than 990,000 individuals in 2023. The state currently has about 822,000 residents enrolled in the program, or nearly 40% of the state's population, according to HCA data. Even as Medicaid enrollment has declined, state and federal Medicaid spending has continued to increase, reaching a combined total of $11.6 billion in New Mexico for the current budget year. Legislative Finance Committee Director Charles Sallee told lawmakers during a Tuesday meeting that the enrollment decline came after former President Joe Biden's administration barred states from removing individuals from getting Medicaid during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said some of the individuals who received Medicaid benefits at the time likely did not meet eligibility requirements. However, Sallee said the federal proposal for increased work requirements — at least 80 hours per month — for certain adult Medicaid recipients would likely lead to more uninsured New Mexicans, describing such requirements as a "proven strategy for impacting enrollment." Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup, also said the federal budget savings would come at the expense of a drop in the number of residents covered by the joint federal-state plan. "We're just saving money at the expense of someone getting health care coverage," he said. But legislative officials also said deeper Medicaid budget cuts might be averted, as the plan released by U.S. House Republicans and debated this week by the House Energy and Commerce Committee does not include a per-person cap on Medicaid spending or a reduction in the base federal share to states. "I think we've got a little more breathing room," Sallee said, referring to such proposals not being included in the initial bill. Funding impact and provider concerns One of the provisions in the congressional plan would reduce the federal Medicaid matching rate for states that provide health care plans to undocumented immigrants by using state funds. New Mexico would not be impacted by that provision since it does not currently have a state program for immigrants without a lawful status, Health Care Authority spokeswoman Marina Piña told the Journal. However, state Republican Party leaders have cited the Lujan Grisham administration's recent decision to nix a proposed contract with a nonprofit quasi-governmental agency to provide health care insurance to undocumented immigrants, according to a Santa Fe New Mexican report. State GOP Chairwoman Amy Barela also described the governor's national TV interview as "fearmongering dressed up as leadership." Amid the partisan finger-pointing, Sen. Linda Trujillo, D-Santa Fe, expressed concern about the possible impact of the federal budget changes on New Mexico's total number of health care providers. "We just cannot lose our health care providers — not even one," Trujillo said, referring to a longstanding doctor shortage across the state.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Mexico toughens requirements to become a caregiver
Rep. Elizabeth "Liz" Thomson (D-Albuquerque) is co-sponsoring a bill to tighten background checks for caregivers in New Mexico. (Photo by Leah Romero / Source NM) People interested in becoming a caregiver for older adults or people with disabilities in New Mexico will face more strict requirements under a new state law but now have a way of appealing if they get rejected. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on April 7 signed House Bill 131, which enhances background check requirements for caregivers, expanding the list of disqualifying criminal offenses. At the same time, HB 131 creates an easier pathway for those who qualify for the job, which sponsors hope will help expand the workforce. Starting July 1, anyone convicted of battery of a household member, animal cruelty, identity theft, human trafficking or assault of a peace officer can be found to pose an 'unreasonable risk' as a caregiver. The new law also allows the Health Care Authority to write rules to add more crimes to the list. The law already prohibited someone from becoming a caregiver if they had been convicted of homicide; drug trafficking; kidnapping; rape or other sexual offenses; abuse of adults or children; robbery; larceny; burglary; fraud; financial exploitation or embezzlement. 'This law reflects our commitment to protecting the safety and dignity of the New Mexicans who rely on caregiving services,' New Mexico Health Care Authority Secretary Kari Armijo said in a statement. 'By strengthening background checks, we are creating safer environments for vulnerable individuals and providing families with greater peace of mind.' Two of the bill's co-sponsors in the Legislature told Source NM it is intended to decrease how long it takes to appeal a background check finding, and make the appeals process more effective, after providers gave feedback about it taking too long, which led to applicants giving up and working elsewhere like in the service industry. Co-sponsor Rep. Elizabeth Thomson (D-Albuquerque), chair of the House Health and Human Services Committee, told Source NM that the bill will help people with disabilities because more people will be able to apply for jobs to care for them. She said there is very high staff turnover at groups homes, nursing homes and other care facilities, and it's difficult to find replacements because caregiving is a demanding job that pays very little. 'These jobs have a lot of responsibility, I mean, this is someone's mother, or grandmother or son that you're taking care of,' Thomson said. 'It can be a very stressful, very physically challenging job, and sometimes downright scary.' For example, Thomson said she sees new staff working at the group home that houses her own son who is very tall, strong and has severe autism that can result in him engaging in difficult behaviors like smearing his own feces on the walls, ceilings and his own clothing. Co-sponsor Rep. Kathleen Cates (D-Rio Rancho) told Source NM the bill fits into the legislative session's broader focus on public safety by protecting the most vulnerable people, including those with disabilities. Cates said the Health Care Authority's Division of Health Improvement asked her to carry the bill. The division runs the state's caregiver background check registry. 'These direct care providers are extraordinarily important in our community, especially now as our community is aging at a higher ratio, and we do not pay them a professional wage,' Cates said. HB131 does not impact caregivers' pay, but Cates and Thomson say they want to pursue future pieces of legislation to raise their compensation. In 2023, they co-sponsored a law that requires the state to conduct a cost study every two years for caregivers for people with developmental disabilities. But as soon as the study's findings are implemented, the pay rates are already two years behind inflation, Thomson said. 'Even before I started as a representative, I was an advocate for people with disabilities and even back then in the 1990s, we were saying, 'You're not paying these people enough,'' Thomson said. 'I don't know what the magic number is; I haven't found it.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New Mexico Health Care Authority marks 50 years of child support program
SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – The New Mexico Health Care Authority is celebrating a half-century of its child support program and they're inviting the community out to learn more. Five events are happening over the next 30 days starting with a Public Health Day celebration at the capitol building Wednesday at noon. All events will highlight the services provided, including establishing parentage, court-ordered financial and medical support, and other services. The events include: 10th Annual Public Health Day, Feb. 5, 2025, 9 a.m. to noon, 490 Old Santa Fe Trail. Santa Fe, NM 87501 American Indian Day, Feb. 7, 2025, 9 a.m. to noon, 490 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87501 Valentine's Open House & Resource Fair, Feb. 13, 2025, 5 to 8 p.m., 118 S. Main Street, Las Cruces, NM 88001 Behavioral Health Day, Feb. 26, 2025, 9 a.m. to noon, 490 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87501 Navigation Open House, March 3, 2025, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.,118 S. Main Street, Las Cruces, NM 88001 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
