Individuals and families that do not have health insurance are much more likely to go without necessary health care. They often face devastating consequences for problems that worsen, but could have been cost-efficiently managed had they had health insurance and sought care sooner.

The associated cost of this problem impacts everyone in our society, whether through higher premiums due to uncompensated care to providers and hospitals or lost productivity in the workplace.

Fortunately, Gov. Bill Richardson is taking steps to address this issue. The Health Coverage for New Mexicans Committee (HCNMC) was created in July 2006 as part of Richardson's five-point plan to extend health coverage to more New Mexicans. In November, the committee chose to analyze the following three plans in addition to the current system: The Health Security Plan (a single pool, citizen's co-op, funded by both private and public funds); the Health Choices Plan (a "managed competition" plan with government-subsidized vouchers); and the Health Coverage Plan (an expansion of Medicaid plus incentives for employers to provide health insurance to their employees). In December, the committee chose Mathematica Policy Research of Washington, D.C., to provide the financial analysis of these plans. After Mathematica delivers its report to The HCNMC and they know what each of the proposed solutions would cost, the committee will decide which plan to recommend to Richardson and the Legislature.

This issue is important to us and our fellow medical students because the current health care system in New Mexico leaves 21 percent, nearly 400,000 New Mexicans, with no form of health insurance. As future providers in this state, we want to be empowered to treat all patients without concern for their insurance status. We want to provide preventative health care and treat health problems early in order to practice socially and financially responsible medicine.

We worry that the problems of the current health care system will only worsen if action is not taken. Many of us want to live and practice in New Mexico and hope for the elimination of the myriad administrative obstacles that currently exist between a physician's freedom to provide evidenced-based care with a focus on the patient, not on the patient's ability to pay. Now is an exciting time to be a medical student in New Mexico. We are proud of the steps that Richardson and the HCNMC have already taken to increase health access for New Mexicans. But we need to be vigilant in the process.

This study is only the first step toward a healthier New Mexico. We must achieve true health care reform that decreases wasteful spending practices and funnels the money saved toward improved patient care. Beyond extending existing public programs, the long-term solution must address the rising cost of health care and allow for cost control measures; without this, any attempt is simply inadequate.

We want to thank the governor and the HCNMC for their diligent efforts to make New Mexico healthier and we charge them to use the results of the study to guide much needed health care reform for New Mexico.

Editorial provided by New Mexico Editorial Forum, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, educational organization. Jonas Hines and Linda Hodes Villamar are medical students at the University of New Mexico and members of the American Medical Student Association, University of New Mexico School of Medicine Chapter.