Keeping an Eye On the Ball in New Mexico

At the state level, implementation of the Affordable Care Act has required robust coordinationamong a variety of actors and stakeholders, both inside and outside of state government. New Mexico recently shared on State Refor(u)m how it is coordinating the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. I recently checked in with Enrique Romero, of the New Mexico Office of Health Care Reform, to get a better sense of how the state is coordinating its implementation efforts.
Chris: What state agencies does your coordinating body bring to the table?
Enrique: Our coordinating body brings together several state agencies, which represent much of New Mexico’s social safety net. We have included representatives from the Human Services Department, including the Medicaid agency and Income Support Division. (The Income Support Division is responsible for programs like TANF and SNAP.) We’ve also brought in representatives from the Division of Insurance (Public Regulation Commission) and the Department of Health.
Chris: I know that New Mexico had both a working group and health care reform office. What’s the difference between them?”
Enrique: The Office of Health Care Reform (OHCR), where I work, is located within state government in the Human Services Department.  We have two full-time employees and are awaiting the appointment of a director.  The OHCR performs several duties, including applying for grants, convening stakeholders, and coordinating across state departments.
The Health Care Reform Working Group is a separate entity created through Senate Joint Memorial 1 during the 2010 legislative session. The Working Group was called to reconvene in the 2011 legislative session. The purpose of the Working Group is to receive input and recommendations from the public and several advisory groups. Late last year, the Working Group published its findings and recommendations, which were presented to the state legislature and the Governor. Due to state budgetary constraints, funding that allowed for legislative participation in the working group has been cut. I am not aware of any attempts to reconvene the Working Group without legislative participation, but the OHCR is mindful of the importance of the work done by the group and its potential to facilitate federal health care reform in New Mexico.
Chris: What implementation activities has your coordinating body (New Mexico Office of Health Care Reform) been involved with since its establishment? What activities are planned for the future?
Enrique: The New Mexico Office of Health Care Reform has been involved in a variety of activities since its establishment last year, but a major focus has been resource development. In addition to ongoing tracking of ACA-related grants that the state has applied for, our Office has:

• Applied for and received the Exchange Planning Grant for New Mexico.
• Received an RWJF technical assistance grant for New Mexico.
• Awarded a PPACA grant writing assistance grant from the Con Alma Health Foundation and Grantmakers In Health. We now administer this for New Mexico state agencies.
• Submitted a letter of intent to apply for an Exchange Establishment Grant.
• Facilitate ongoing stakeholder meetings, and we are currently drafting an IT Gap Analysis contract.

Chris: How has your coordinating body worked with outside stakeholders?
Enrique: The New Mexico Office of Health Care Reform continues to facilitate and attend meetings of various stakeholder groups, which are an outgrowth of the advisory stakeholder groups that reported recommendations to the Working Group. Three very active groups include the Insurer, Consumer, and Medicaid groups.  Just last week these groups testified before the Legislative Health and Human Services Committee to explain their role and their work. In addition, two groups that have a significant role to play in health care reform but have not met consistently are the Provider and Small Employer groups.
To see the work that New Mexico has done on health reform implementation, and the work of other states, visit the “Develop a Coordinated Approach to Implementing the ACA” indicator on State Refor(u)m. A recent State Refor(u)m webinar highlighted the health reform implementation coordination work that other states have done. Click here to view the recording of the webinar and download the slides.
What is your state doing to coordinate implementation of health reform? Have you identified state staffing and other resources necessary for carrying out the implementation work plan?  Have youestablished criteria and/or a process for deciding which ACA-funded federal grant opportunities to pursue?  Share your experience on State Refor(u)m.