The Legislature is considering multiple proposals to address the growing concern about health care throughout the state. While we laud their eagerness to find a solution, we need to remember that good policy requires an informed and deliberate process.

Health care has become an increasing concern throughout New Mexico and the country. Businesses are struggling to provide comprehensive health care coverage and maintain a competitive edge. Families are financially stretched because of rising health care costs and more and more people are becoming uninsured. This is all the more reason we need to take our time to get input from the community.

And that is exactly what we are doing. In 2004, The Con Alma Foundation created a collaborative to focus on improving access to health care in the state. Its membership includes a wide coalition of groups, including businesses, that are increasingly concerned about providing affordable health care options. From this collaborative, the Health Care for All Campaign was formed with the mission to collectively gather information on the best possible ways to provide health care for all people living in New Mexico. These principles are relatively consistent with the line followed by the Governor's Health Care for New Mexicans Committee (HCNMC).

The Health Care for All Campaign has taken the position of focusing on the impact and outcomes of the three health care models proposed to HCNMC. These models are New Mexico Health Choices, Health Security Act, and New Mexico Health Coverage Plan.

If we look at examples of the developed world, we are aware of as many universal health care models available as there are nations. This campaign focuses on what a health care system does for New Mexico, how it treats patients and families, how it controls costs, and how it is inclusive, effective, and portable.

We are also actively interviewing people who are uninsured in New Mexico in order to create a report on how the health care system impacts their lives. This report will address concerns about accessibility to health care services in rural counties as well as culturally and linguistically appropriate health care services. Information gathered from the interviews will be used to determine recommendations to present to the HCNMC and identify amendments and areas where further analysis is needed.

For these reasons the Health Care for All Campaign has supported most of the governor's HCNMC efforts to find a model that goes beyond maximizing Medicaid programs.

In addition, this April, Mathematica Research Policy from Washington, D.C., will present a preliminary report to HCNMC on three health care models being analyzed for New Mexico. We must make sure that the public is aware of Mathematica's recommendations for health care reform. Finally, a series of town hall meetings will be held throughout the state to gather public input on health care reform on Mathematica's recommendations.

This process is beginning to move rapidly. This legislative session is demonstrating health care needs to be addressed. We are committed to ensuring that all people living in New Mexico must have health care coverage and costs must be affordable and sustainable

New Mexico must not hastily jump into fixing our ailing health care system. It would be a shame if real health care reform were thwarted by a less effective quick fix.

Editorial provided by The New Mexico Editorial Forum, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, educational organization. Jordon Johnson is a Health Care for All steering committee member and a Masters of Social Work candidate at New Mexico Highlands University. For more information on the Health Care for All Campaign, call (505) 314-0656 or visit www.healthactionnm.org.