NM House Speaker: ACA 'Works', But We Improved It with 'Affordability Fund', ACA Needs Subsidies So People Can Afford Care

On Wednesday’s “MS NOW Reports,” New Mexico State House Speaker Rep. Javier Martínez (D) said that the state has “far planned to make the Affordable Care Act better” through an “Affordability Fund” and Obamacare works, but needs subsidies “so that people in my state and in states across the country can afford their healthcare.” And “do we need to get a hold of these skyrocketing insurance costs? Of course. That’s why I would advocate for a single-payer system, Medicare for all. That’s what we need to ensure all of us can get affordable healthcare.”

Martínez stated, “New Mexico, we have far planned to make the Affordable Care Act better for our communities. Back in 2021, we created something called the Health Care Affordability Fund, which is funded through a surtax on private insurance premiums. That fund has over $100 million, and over the last several years, New Mexico has actually had a state-level subsidy to go with the federal subsidy, and to include coverage for all kinds of communities here in New Mexico, including our immigrant community. New Mexico is really looking forward on this. Now, with the lack of action from Congress and with the cruelty coming down from Trump and Johnson in the Congress, New Mexico has stepped up to cover, in full, those federal subsidies this calendar year and into next calendar year. And we are prepared to do what we have to do to make sure we keep healthcare affordable for our people.”

He added, “Obamacare works. It’s worked for millions of people over the course of the last ten or so years. All they’ve got to do is do the right thing and extend these subsidies so that people in my state and in states across the country can afford their healthcare.”

Martínez concluded, “For my constituents in my district and for people across the state of New Mexico, where I travel all the time in this role, I hear that Obamacare is working for them, no question about it. Now, do we need to get a hold of these skyrocketing insurance costs? Of course. That’s why I would advocate for a single-payer system, Medicare for all. That’s what we need to ensure all of us can get affordable healthcare. But short of that, Obamacare works.”

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