Ombudsmen will check compliance with the program. Medicaid Managed Care continues to have problems delivering care to special populations. The Health and Human Services Committee is endorsing and carrying many different bills that will deal with more control of HMO s, a memorial to study the cost of many layers of administration, bills to strengthen patient protection, and requests for carve outs for special needs populations such as Developmentally Disabled, and the Mentally Ill. We will study these bills and decide which to support. Some are not yet in their final form.
NM currently has the highest percentage of uninsured children in the nation.
A very innovative and complex plan has been submitted to the federal government for use of these funds. The Federal Government has just approved phase 1 of this plan, so issues of implementing this first phase will be considered. Other services for the homeless will include emergency shelter, meals and transitional housing. Other bills will ask for money for assistance to help low income persons with down payment and mortgage funds. Faith Communities Against Hate Crimes is a project that was initiated by the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Fe.