Healthy & Safe Communities Blog
New Mexico is Protecting Healthcare Affordability
Boosting New Mexico’s healthcare fund is essential to keeping coverage affordable and helping families rise out of poverty. At the end of 2025, Congress failed to extend the enhanced premium tax credits that had helped millions of Americans afford health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Their expiration threatened steep premium increases for tens of thousands of New Mexicans who rely on the ACA marketplace for coverage.
Voces Innocentes: How Immigration Enforcement is Eroding Children’s Health and Well-Being
The possibility of encountering immigration officials can have a chilling effect on immigrant and mixed-status families, leading many families to avoid public spaces and services, miss critical pediatric appointments or delay or forgo necessary treatment as they fear the presence of immigration officers at or near health care facilities.
Protecting New Mexico’s Children: Understanding the New Public Charge Rule and Its Impact on Immigrant Families
The reach and impact of the many investments New Mexico’s leaders have made to support immigrant communities, families and children are threatened by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) final “public charge” regulation, which went into effect Friday, Sept. 18.
How H.R. 1 Could Cut $1.2 Billion From New Mexico’s Medicaid System
As New Mexico prepares for the roll out of federally-required Medicaid work reporting requirements, another significant change is looming that stands to decimate the funding system that prevents primary care providers, hospitals, and other providers from closing their doors and worsening access to care for our families.
New Mexico Has $924 Million in New Revenue. What Could This Mean for Families and Children in the State?
New Mexico lawmakers should have enough revenue to build upon their recent work supporting families and children. At the August 26 meeting of the Legislative Finance Committee, the Consensus Revenue Estimating Group (CREG) released their first estimate of how much money the state should expect to be available for the upcoming 2027-28 fiscal year (FY 28).
Healthy Kids Start with Clean School Buses
New Mexico has an opportunity right now to make the school day healthier, safer, and quieter for thousands of children, but only if we take advantage of it. The Community Benefit Fund, known as SB 48, passed during the 2025 legislative session, was created to help communities invest in projects that strengthen local economies, create jobs, and prepare for climate challenges.
Thousands of New Mexicans Face Medicaid Coverage Loss Under New CMS Guidance
Previously, New Mexico Voices detailed how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) threatens access to affordable health care. Now, a new interim final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), released on June 1, makes those threats even more severe.
New Mexico Sees Increase in Uninsured Kids, According to New National Report
A new study from the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University shows that the number of uninsured children in New Mexico has increased in recent years. As families across the state continue to grapple with rising costs and coverage disruptions, advocates warn that the trend could only get worse under proposed federal policy changes.
New Mexico Took Steps to Address the Rising Cost of Living
In the 2026 legislative session, lawmakers, advocates, and community members secured crucial funding to fight food insecurity and improve housing affordability in New Mexico. While federal cuts have threatened the support programs our families and children rely on, our state legislature passed family-focused investments that will keep food on the table for households across the state.
New Mexico Lawmakers Protected Affordable Health Care This Session
Expanding access to health care for New Mexicans is multifaceted and complex. This legislative session, New Mexico made major investments to help keep health care accessible and affordable, protect families from harmful federal policy changes, and make our state a more attractive place for health care providers to practice.