HM 31

1A MEMORIAL
2  REQUESTING THE HEALTH CARE AUTHORITY TO REEVALUATE CERTAIN
3  HOME HEALTH SERVICE DISTANCE LIMITATIONS TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO
4  CARE IN RURAL, FRONTIER AND TRIBAL COMMUNITIES.
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6WHEREAS, home health agencies play a critical role in
7  delivering medically necessary skilled nursing, therapy and
8  supportive services that allow New Mexico residents to
9  receive care in their homes rather than in institutional
10 settings; and
11      WHEREAS, the health care authority's current
12 administrative rules limit a home health agency to serving
13 patient-clients who reside within one hundred miles of the
14 agency's licensed location; and
15      WHEREAS, this limitation creates administrative and
16 operational burdens for home health agencies, particularly
17 those serving large geographic areas with sparse populations,
18 limited infrastructure and workforce shortages; and
19      WHEREAS, the reauthorization of the federal Radiation
20 Exposure Compensation Act is expected to increase demand for
21 home health services among uranium miners and millers, many
22 of whom reside in remote frontier areas and on Navajo Nation
23 tribal lands; and
24      WHEREAS, these communities already face significant
25 barriers to accessing health care services due to geographic    HM 31
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1  isolation, transportation challenges and limited availability
2  of providers; and
3WHEREAS, the current distance-based limitation on home
4  health services creates a regulatory barrier that may
5  unintentionally limit access to medically necessary care for
6  eligible patients in these underserved regions; and
7WHEREAS, the personal care services program administered
8  by the health care authority allows providers to serve
9  patients in any county within one hundred miles of a
10 provider's main or branch office, offering a more flexible
11 and access-oriented regulatory framework; and
12      WHEREAS, aligning the health care authority's rules
13 governing home health service with existing personal care
14 service policies would promote consistency across programs
15 while maintaining appropriate oversight and quality
16 standards;
17      NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF
18 REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the health
19 care authority be requested to reevaluate the administrative
20 rules governing home health agency service areas, including
21 the rule that limits a home health agency to serving
22 patient-clients who reside within one hundred miles of the
23 agency's licensed location; and
24      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this reevaluation prioritize
25 improving access to home health services for rural, frontier    HM 31
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1  and tribal communities, including populations impacted by
2  radiation exposure; and
3BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
4  transmitted to the secretary of health care authority, the
5  governor and the legislative health and human services
6  committee.  HM 31
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