A bill that would give New Mexico's Office of the Superintendent of Insurance (OSI) authority to review some hospital and health-care provider acquisitions drew hours of testimony and a string of amendment votes Thursday before the committee agreed to table the item for later consideration.

Sponsor Sen. Peter Duhigg said the measure aims to preserve access to health care and guard against transactions that, in other states, have led to higher prices and service cuts. "If someone wants to come in and acquire one of our hospitals, the review that would happen is that first there would be usually an informal meeting with the superintendent's office," Duhigg said.

Supporters, including the League of Women Voters and consumer advocates, said confidentiality and a vetted review process are necessary because many purchases are done via private deals that leave communities and regulators uninformed until after sales close. "There have been examples in other states of entities absorbing health-care provider networks and facilities, milking them for profits, and then closing them down," said Richard Mason of the League of Women Voters, urging the committee to give the bill a "do pass."

Hospital trade groups and providers urged major changes, calling several provisions vague and burdensome. Julia Ritten, senior director of government affairs for the New Mexico Hospital Association, said the bill "has concerns about insufficient confidentiality protections" and an "excessively long" post-transaction oversight period, and warned it would deter investment that hospitals need to survive. Presbyterian Healthcare Services' registered lobbyist, Larry Horan, said the bill leaves the superintendent with open-ended authority to request additional documents "at any time after a notice is complete," which could repeatedly delay transactions.

Sponsor Duhigg and OSI representatives said the measure borrows review mechanics from the Insurance Holding Company Act and that OSI would use outside experts for complex reviews. OSI's witness described an outreach process over the last year that included meetings with hospitals, providers and community groups and said the intent is to allow simple transactions to proceed quickly while reserving comprehensive review for deals that raise red flags.

Committee members pressed for clearer criteria that would trigger preliminary and comprehensive reviews and for limits on venue, confidentiality, and how long the agency could impose post-closing conditions. Multiple amendments adopted during the hearing narrowed language on which acquisitions fall under the act and added or revised confidentiality and venue language.

After hours of testimony and a series of amendments, the committee voted to table the bill for further work. Committee members explicitly left the bill on a roll-over calendar rather than advancing it to the Senate floor.

Ending: Sponsor Duhigg said he will continue negotiations with hospitals and state agencies in advance of future committee action; OSI officials said the agency would work to address confidentiality and timing concerns in later drafts.