MEDIA STATEMENT
January 9, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Sharon Kayne, Communications Director, NM Voices for Children, 505-244-9505 

ALBUQUERQUE—New Mexico Voices for Children’s executive director Dr. Veronica C. García released the following statement regarding Governor Martinez’s decision to expand Medicaid as provided for in the Affordable Care Act:

“The right decision was made today for New Mexico’s families, children, and economy. The Medicaid expansion will do much more than provide health coverage for some 150,000 low-income adults who currently have no insurance. Some 50,000 New Mexico children who are eligible for Medicaid have been allowed to fall through the cracks and are not enrolled. As low-income parents enroll for Medicaid under the new eligibility criteria beginning in 2014, their children will be enrolled in the state’s New MexiKids program.

“The Medicaid expansion will also be an economic boon to New Mexico. As our research—and the research of other respected organizations—has shown, this influx of federal money will create much-needed jobs and economic activity. Tax payers and the state will also save money because people will be able to get preventive treatment for illnesses instead of getting much more expensive treatment in the emergency room when they can no longer wait.

“In the light of this positive news, we urge New Mexico’s policy-makers to step up their work to put the other provisions of the Affordable Care Act into place—most importantly to create a health insurance exchange that is consumer friendly.”

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New Mexico Voices for Children is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advocating for policies to improve the health and well-being of New Mexico’s children, families and communities. Our Medicaid work is funded by grants from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, First Focus, and Voices for America’s Children. Our fiscal policy work is funded by grants from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the McCune Charitable Foundation, the WK Kellogg Foundation, and the Working Poor Families Project.
625 Sliver Ave. SW, Suite 195, Albuquerque, NM 87102; 505-244-9505 (p); www.nmvoices.org