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Stories Like Anna's

Dear Friend,

President Trump and Republicans in Congress are once again rushing to pass a disastrous plan that would strip health insurance from thousands of New Mexicans and decimate health care in rural communities.

I continue to hear from New Mexicans about how access to health coverage has helped their families and even saved their lives. I recently met with patients at the Ben Archer Health Center, a rural health clinic in Hatch, and heard firsthand how important Medicaid coverage has been for women and families in southern New Mexico.

One of the New Mexicans I met was Anna Marie Crider, a Las Cruces native who worked for the Las Cruces Public Food service for 22 years. 

PHOTO: U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich meets with Anna Marie Crider a Las Cruces Native who gained Medicaid coverage with help from his office, April 18, 2017.

Anna's husband passed away in 2008, and when she found herself unable to keep working following a minor stroke, she could not afford health coverage on her own. When she reached out to my office in 2016, she had bronchitis and walking pneumonia. My staff helped her enroll in Medicaid, and now she is able to access the care she needs. Stories like Anna's illustrate just how important Medicaid is to hardworking people in New Mexico.

Medicaid helps provide affordable health coverage to over 900,000 New Mexicans, including many children, seniors, and people with disabilities, and covers vital services including child births, prenatal care, nursing home care, addiction treatment services, and student health clinics in public schools. The health care proposal put forward by President Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan is an attempt to destroy Medicaid as we know it. If Republicans find a way to pass their proposed cuts to Medicaid, the State of New Mexico would have to either come up with a way to raise $11 billion of new taxes over the next 10 years or cut coverage for thousands of New Mexicans.

I'm committed to protecting health programs that New Mexicans in rural communities rely on. That's why in January, I offered an amendment to protect the hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans and millions of Americans who receive health insurance through the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act and voted to approve $1 billion in new federal grants to combat the opioid addiction crisis.

My office can also assist New Mexicans with accessing federal services. If you or someone in your family needs help with things like Social Security benefits, Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans benefits, and other federal programs, please contact my office.

You can count on me to keep fighting every step of the way to ensure that affordable health care remains within reach for all New Mexicans.

Sincerely,

MARTIN HEINRICH

United States Senator