With the exception of 16-to-25-year olds, a study found that some women pay more than men for car insurance in New Mexico, according to a consumer advocacy group. According to the data, provided by Consumer Federation of America, the difference in annual average pay rates between a single woman and a single man are small […]
New Mexico settles retaliation lawsuit by whistleblower
MORGAN LEE, Associated Press
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SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) The state of New Mexico has reached a $260,000 settlement with a whistleblower who alleged retaliation by state insurance regulators after she reported that a major health care insurer was allegedly avoiding tax payments.
An attorney for Shawna Maestas confirmed the financial settlement Wednesday after the terms were published on a state clearinghouse website. The agreement ensures that Maestas can seek work at other state agencies.
State Insurance Superintendent Russell Toal says that both parties in the litigation agreed that it made sense to reach a settlement. His leadership at the agency began in January 2020, more than a year after Maestas left in April 2018.
Credit Russell Toal, New Mexico Superintendent of Insurance / Courtesy photo
SANTA FE, N.M. New Mexico’s top insurance regulator is putting medical providers on notice that people cannot be charged for coronavirus testing after reports that residents have been required to pay for coronavirus rapid-result tests.
Insurance Superintendent Russell Toal said Wednesday that his office is preparing an administrative bulletin to ensure testing costs are not passed directly on to consumers as state health officials push for robust testing to track infection rates and new strains of COVID-19.
Toal says the Office of the Superintendent of Insurance has received reports of people being charged in excess of $100 for testing services that should be free.
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It’s no secret New Mexico’s health care system faces significant challenges, just coming up for air after the flood of COVID-19 patients stressed intensive care units and threatened to overwhelm hospital staff. That was true pre-COVID-19, and it is true now.
An Albuquerque Journal report in 2019 found the state ranked 48th among 50 states for access to health care in a study that included the number of physicians per 100,000 population – a problem exacerbated by the fact we have the oldest doctor workforce in the nation, with many physicians eyeing retirement. When the pandemic hit, we learned the hard way we were near the bottom nationally in hospital and ICU beds per capita. Providers struggle with Medicaid reimbursement rates that don’t cover their costs – a big deal since we just became No. 1 nationally in Medicaid patients at 43% of the population.