[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6131897,"mediaKeyId","5727733-9fc06600312b619d8942963d93173b7f","parentId",5727733,"title","Legislature boosted Medicaid funding by billions; committee questions oversight and outcomes","audioSeconds",117,"startMs",338000,"endMs",455000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5727733-9fc06600312b619d8942963d93173b7f&start=338&end=455","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5727733-9fc06600312b619d8942963d93173b7f/thumbnail_338000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6131897/New-Mexico/Legislature-boosted-Medicaid-funding-by-billions-committee-questions-oversight-and-outcomes","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6131897-1e35f464b6bcb620039fb82f8cd9b258/orig.mp4?Expires=1770929227&Signature=Z1o3mZxeG~YAwqqhYxcksD9fwBtpAUpnw-Uvh4Y-ZBZQHaSdE4xPwZo22r43rZKV8fyc7B38c2fxMxZCP5RHikPGTM9I4M1wgGiQhl6HBy1z2-nYHLhMe9zqE1yVGunuXTuvs-2QkLShnvxD~hYetxGaZruRtNMH228TmpoifvkWy32Hgk5WsAbeKysTuzGIauvr~w6p8ilOK7VulagC48EXxiQRbeujQhALZHXhqeONwhKrPhTIY4eW~zy~YiUfHnM6XaYr9pLVtEWWZJMTHy9B2DSuPaZz9NPbnQak1rdZBswol4~OcL8gpqHe4Yaz-ajk3RXkLtiy27Y0gFms5w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New Mexico Legislature","date","2025-06-27T00:00:00Z","article","Eric Chignee, Legislative Finance Committee analyst for the Health Care Authority, told the Legislative Health & Human Services committee that the Legislature approved multiyear increases in Medicaid provider rates and one-time funding this session.

\"We've done about $2,300,000,000 — that's 'b' with a billion — dollars in Medicaid provider rate adjustments,\" Chignee said, and he added that the session included roughly $735,000,000 in nonrecurring appropriations for health-related programs.

The report presented by Chignee emphasized scale and the need for oversight. \"Medicaid is everywhere in the state,\" he said, noting that the most recent enrollment projections put the program at about 814,000 enrollees and that federal Medicaid revenue to the state is roughly $9 billion. Chignee also said the Health Care Authority will receive about $15 billion in federal funding from all sources and about $2.1 billion in general fund support in the coming year.

Why this matters: Committee members repeatedly pressed staff about whether higher spending will produce better outcomes. Chignee told legislators the Legislature has substantially increased provider rates, one-time investments and recurring supports in recent years, but said the body must follow implementation and performance data to know whether the spending improves access, health outcomes or system capacity.

Key facts presented

- Total recent provider rate adjustments across Medicaid programs: about $2.3 billion (all fund sources).

- Nonrecurring appropriations cited in the post-session review: about $735 million for health-system items intended largely for capacity building and startup costs.

- Latest enrollment cited by LFC at the meeting: about 814,000 Medicaid enrollees; LFC noted earlier, higher pandemic-era counts approached 1 million and that enrollment has fallen since emergency-related limits on disenrollment ended.

- LFC cited a blended federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) in recent years around 77.71%; small FMAP shifts can have large budgetary effects.

Concerns and discussion points

- Enrollment and projections: Chignee warned that differences between projected and actual enrollment can tie up general fund dollars unnecessarily. He cited months in which departmental projections exceeded actual enrollment by tens of millions of dollars per month, a variance the committee said needs closer monitoring.

- Performance measurement: multiple committee members said the state must match the new funding with reliable data, regular performance monitoring and program evaluations to verify outcomes over time.

- Reversions and trust funds: legislators asked for clarification about the Medicaid trust fund language, specifically which reversion amounts or interest flows were to be retained in the trust versus returned to the general fund; Chignee said he would double-check legislative language.

What the committee directed and next steps

- LFC staff advised the committee that oversight will require more precise enrollment and spending projections and routine performance reporting from agencies implementing the new appropriations.

- Legislators asked LFC and agency staff for follow-up work to clarify the Medicaid trust fund mechanics and to track whether federal policy changes affect enrollment or matching rates.

Ending

Committee members left the briefing with a shared emphasis on oversight: staff must track spending, enrollments and outcomes as agencies implement the session's appropriations. LFC said it will continue to provide quarterly performance measures and targeted evaluations so the Legislature can assess whether the larger investments translate into improved access and outcomes.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Legislative Health and Human Services Committee Jun 27, 2025 12:35 PM - 2:24 PM","oneSentenceSummary","Eric Chignee, Legislative Finance Committee analyst for the Health Care Authority, told the Legislative Health & Human Services committee that the Legislature approved multiyear increases in Medicaid provider rates and one-time funding this session.","taxTitle","Legislative Health & Human Services, Interim, Committees, Legislative, New Mexico","taxId",65389,"location","New Mexico","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6131892,"Early childhood spending nears $900 million; LFC reports sustained pre-K gains but warns growth will slow",138,1270000,1408000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5727733-9fc06600312b619d8942963d93173b7f&start=1270&end=1408","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5727733-9fc06600312b619d8942963d93173b7f/thumbnail_1270000.jpg","/articles/6131892/New-Mexico/Early-childhood-spending-nears-900-million-LFC-reports-sustained-pre-K-gains-but-warns-growth-will-slow","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6131892-f46af7643e7b91809c0ec43d583ed8f6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770929227&Signature=PHArGkE0MREPXPGDs~TfuKTr97EMBssS-XYx0~Ks2SRQfmDbgxZ7CXbOqVsgHVlwwLqN4VCwvymXZveKRYgLm6PePslGXFyPH09syxdFtMX2nCHQMLvLlFMPAeRFE7h5h-DhhhNBqEwKhBdkbbVsfsexhpzMt~bsGmLA6ZlT2J0UX5ZTVsAMe1mDZwaaWBIECyOVCzpgDUP8JyqHmpQ-gOwWaYN4CpLbWwisX22g9IFFbCOnDr16UKqupmFv0PPZBu54N4DIO2uRV7YPXahw6hE-PqDxSnik-l0921MZx87t3MGfG6v-4a8784swoFLUny2Rb2x9tpuSwhV2G0U5Zw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kelly Kluntz, Legislative Finance Committee analyst for the Early Childhood Education and Care Department, summarized post‑session funding and recent evaluation findings for the Legislative Health & Human Services committee.

\"Now that, totals almost $900,000,000 — I will say I have been the analyst for this department and in this area since we were spending about $125,000,000 on these programs, and now we're very short of a billion dollars,\" Kluntz said, describing how revenue sources have expanded in recent years and how the department’s budget is structured.

Key points from the briefing

- Funding and sources: Kluntz said the agency now receives a mix of revenues, including distributions from the Land Grant Permanent Fund, federal childcare assistance, and a smaller share of unrestricted state general fund. LFC cited overall early childhood-related revenue approaching $900 million.

- Prekindergarten evaluation: LFC released an update to its prekindergarten evaluation that, Kluntz said, shows \"some really impressive results\" — sustained gains in math and reading for pre‑K participants, reductions in special-education designation and higher rates of high-school graduation and college attendance for participants identified as at risk.

- Program scale and access: Kluntz said expansion of income eligibility for child-care assistance to 400% of the federal poverty level increased monthly participation from roughly 20,000 children to about 33,000–34,000 children.

- Trust-fund changes: The committee was told that legislation reallocated some future distributions from the early childhood education fund to the Medicaid trust fund and the behavioral health trust fund. Kluntz warned that means future growth from the early childhood trust fund will be limited compared with recent years.

Why this matters: LFC staff urged the committee to continue focusing on implementation fidelity and quality measures. Kluntz said that while investments are large and evaluation results for pre‑K are encouraging, population-level rankings lag because data are reported with delays and because broad population change requires sustained service delivery over multiple years.

Committee requests and next steps

- LFC will provide the committee with the prekindergarten evaluation and with ongoing performance measures for major early childhood programs, including home visiting, family infant-toddler services and child-care assistance.

- Committee members asked that LFC and agency staff track continuing quality metrics so that the Legislature can evaluate whether the large investments are producing durable, statewide improvements.

Ending

Lawmakers heard LFC’s assessment that early childhood investments have expanded service capacity and show promising program-level outcomes, but staff cautioned that sustaining and scaling quality implementation will determine whether those investments change population-level measures over time.","Kelly Kluntz, Legislative Finance Committee analyst for the Early Childhood Education and Care Department, summarized post-session funding and recent evaluation findings for the Legislative Health & Human Services committee.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6131895,"Behavioral health reform law creates trust fund and regional planning; funding focused on capacity building",523,544000,1067000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5727733-9fc06600312b619d8942963d93173b7f&start=544&end=1067","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5727733-9fc06600312b619d8942963d93173b7f/thumbnail_544000.jpg","/articles/6131895/New-Mexico/Behavioral-health-reform-law-creates-trust-fund-and-regional-planning-funding-focused-on-capacity-building","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6131895-c0152a517cf5602a553816fdc87d55e3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770929227&Signature=RMxFActoK2yfnKkpo6eoJbm7Z68GuFVF1c0pd23FyyA~2kGl02oA9444Gqo2gmu8qOOLGSXTCaPJNGgpwNc7URBGqKqHN~Ezc7OmR91eEGUecPHlBDO9A5Gc6xB1FmI5ALqj0zQRiuS9ZN6BdlAVRDL7cOjBuQZ4VZvmaBeCMaOCbw64vHvShb5L9blhJiIyfheb98G9Gc7L5cykMw9azP8vBpLWjsT-JL~jimaqsU-o8sxUIJY36uel~JY92TLkNZrR32rghkzkyBfyMY0XMErsxUuvyqSGheCSgRKZOJOfAu9M~8ZDkdet347tynWNM63VI-t0g7kofeuqXtHcsg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Legislative Finance Committee told the Legislative Health & Human Services committee that the Legislature enacted the Behavioral Health Reform and Investment Act (SB3) and created a behavioral health trust fund this session.

\"On behavioral health alone, the legislature appropriated about $350,400,000 in nonrecurring appropriations to the authority, enacted the Behavioral Health Reform and Investment Act, and created a new behavioral health trust fund,\" Eric Chignee said as he summarized the Health Care Authority appropriation table.

Highlights from the nonrecurring appropriations and implementation work described at the briefing include:

- $50,000,000 for behavioral health priorities identified through regional plans under SB3.

- $28,000,000 for transitional behavioral health facilities and certified community behavioral health clinics (CCBHCs). Chignee said the Health Care Authority had already stood up several CCBHCs and that more were planned.

- $11,500,000 for regional mobile crisis and recovery response teams.

- $36,000,000 in startup funding to build capacity for housing providers serving people experiencing homelessness.

Why this matters: LFC staff emphasized that much of the one-time funding is intended to build provider capacity so those entities can bill Medicaid on a recurring basis later. The law also replaced the prior behavioral health purchasing collaborative with an executive committee to oversee planning and funding distribution; the Administrative Office of the Courts was assigned SIM (service integration mapping) work to help regions identify gaps for people who intersect with the criminal justice system.

Committee questions and implementation issues

- Timing of trust-fund distributions: legislators asked when the behavioral health trust fund will be mature enough to support distributions; LFC staff said more work is needed this interim to project fund growth and timing.

- Local planning and allocation: SB3 requires local and regional planning and reporting; LFC said the executive committee met in the first week after session and regional plans will drive applications for many of the appropriations.

- Performance and sustainment: multiple members asked for metrics to ensure capacity investments lead to sustainable, recurring Medicaid billing rather than short-term pilots.

Ending

The committee received a high-level accounting of the session’s behavioral health investments and directed staff and agencies to produce more-detailed implementation timelines and performance measures during the interim so the Legislature can monitor whether capacity-building funds translate into lasting capacity and improved outcomes.","Committee learned that the Legislature enacted the Behavioral Health Reform and Investment Act and created a behavioral health trust fund, and that session appropriations included targeted nonrecurring funding for regional plans, transitional facilities, certified community behavioral health clinics and mobile crisis teams.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6131887,"Legislators press for access to all‑payer claims data as LFC cites legal and data barriers",35,2496000,2531000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5727733-9fc06600312b619d8942963d93173b7f&start=2496&end=2531","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5727733-9fc06600312b619d8942963d93173b7f/thumbnail_2496000.jpg","/articles/6131887/New-Mexico/Legislators-press-for-access-to-allpayer-claims-data-as-LFC-cites-legal-and-data-barriers","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6131887-e22790e75f0b557c8fbdd3d1684e3bc4/orig.mp4?Expires=1770929227&Signature=XEl5Mr-IteKKZkAHdAm~ai27yYyDQE0UFqwhkyhR2aANTXaCpvHmHtF3yHla0HCUc83YKxp0mOFeMqWWWVNocXOdUcCWj0Narenmp1cb1NLCeSAhsVE-h1QsfYCWA6X24YaZq12U02AXljforhci-jwk~cMIyXSKyvYjbsZSVJEmHvVwfXMcajs7OtabgTy9NyXKnf6n2FGt7wWXigds-6xeVGqI0cSYeQWaFZw6WKzKo2V6xhazO56W6XnVZQfASXaNt~BNVPIm2O6bVcXHcQCEaMLbrukqTGSwJBxnsDniZvMLSaafq8rUPnTi82sBqeIRZvNOgIEwZHWVX8Nd~A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Members of the Legislative Health & Human Services committee pressed Legislative Finance Committee staff about the LFC’s access to the state's all‑payer claims database and broader data and legal constraints that complicate oversight.

\"The legislative finance committee has been unable to receive any data from that system,\" Kelly Kluntz told the committee when describing how LFC uses available data to evaluate health programs.

What LFC told lawmakers

- Statutory access: LFC staff said they believe two small statutory changes would allow the committee to receive the APCD data for policy analysis. They told legislators they will work with the committee over the summer to draft specific statutory language.

- Operational and legal friction: Multiple legislators said the Legislature’s ability to obtain executive-branch data has been limited; one committee member noted LFC does not have a permanent general counsel to help litigate or interpret access questions and asked whether LFC could subpoena data (LFC staff said subpoena power is rumored but rarely used and that they prefer collaborative approaches).

Why this matters: LFC and lawmakers said timely and complete claims data are essential to evaluate implementation of large appropriations — for instance, to determine whether capacity-building investments are translating into Medicaid billings, reductions in emergency-department use or improved service access.

Committee direction and follow-up

- LFC committed to work with committee staff and members this summer on statutory language to allow secure access to APCD data for legislative oversight and to provide examples of the specific data elements the committee would need.

- Several members urged use of stronger legislative remedies if agencies continue to withhold data; LFC staff said they prefer to work collaboratively but will provide drafts of statutory changes to the committee for the interim.

Ending

Lawmakers left the briefing focused on two related priorities: securing statutory authority to access claims-level data for oversight and strengthening the LFC’s data and legal capacity so the Legislature can assess whether this session’s investments are producing measurable results.","Committee members raised concerns that the Legislative Finance Committee has not received data from the state's all‑payer claims database (APCD), limiting oversight. LFC staff said statutory tweaks are needed and raised operational limits, including LFC's lack of an in‑house general counsel and the committee's reliance on the executive branch for","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Legislature boosted Medicaid funding by billions; committee questions oversight and outcomes

Early childhood spending nears $900 million; LFC reports sustained pre-K gains but warns growth will slow

Behavioral health reform law creates trust fund and regional planning; funding focused on capacity building

Legislators press for access to all‑payer claims data as LFC cites legal and data barriers