New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

New Mexico House Bill HB70 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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28	28	HOUSE BILL 70
29	29	57
30	30	TH LEGISLATURE
31	31	-
32	32
33	33	STATE
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35	35	OF
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37	37	NEW
38	38
39	39	MEXICO
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41	41	-
42	42	FIRST SESSION
43	43	,
44	44
45	45	2025
46	46	INTRODUCED BY
47	47	Tara L. Lujan
48	48	AN ACT
49	49	RELATING TO HEALTH CARE; ENACTING THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
50	50	MEDICAID WAIVER ACT; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION; DECLARING AN
51	51	EMERGENCY.
52	52	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
53	53	SECTION 1. [NEW MATERIAL] SHORT TITLE.--This act may be
54	54	cited as the "Behavioral Health Medicaid Waiver Act".
55	55	SECTION 2. [NEW MATERIAL] DEFINITIONS.--As used in the
56	56	Behavioral Health Medicaid Waiver Act:
57	57	A. "behavioral health disability" means serious
58	58	mental illness, serious emotional disturbance, substance use
59	59	disorder or brain injury whenever that condition:
60	60	(1) substantially impairs a person's ability
61	61	to manage the person's own affairs; or
62	62	(2) makes a person eligible to receive
63	63	.229326.3 underscored material = new
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90	90	disability benefits from New Mexico or the federal government;
91	91	B. "brain injury" means an injury to the brain of
92	92	traumatic or acquired origin, including an open or closed head
93	93	injury, caused by:
94	94	(1) an insult to the brain from an outside
95	95	physical force;
96	96	(2) anoxia;
97	97	(3) an electrical shock;
98	98	(4) shaken baby syndrome;
99	99	(5) a toxic or chemical substance;
100	100	(6) a near-drowning;
101	101	(7) an infection;
102	102	(8) a tumor;
103	103	(9) a vascular lesion; or
104	104	(10) an event that results in either temporary
105	105	or permanent, partial or total impairment in one or more areas
106	106	of the brain that results in total or partial functional
107	107	disability, including:
108	108	(a) cognition;
109	109	(b) language;
110	110	(c) memory;
111	111	(d) attention;
112	112	(e) reasoning;
113	113	(f) abstract thinking;
114	114	(g) judgment;
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143	143	(h) problem solving;
144	144	(i) sensory perception and motor
145	145	abilities;
146	146	(j) psychosocial behavior;
147	147	(k) physical functions;
148	148	(l) information processing; or
149	149	(m) speech;
150	150	C. "serious emotional disturbance" means a
151	151	diagnosable mental, behavioral or emotional disorder in a
152	152	person under the age of eighteen years and of sufficient
153	153	duration to meet diagnostic criteria that results in functional
154	154	impairment that substantially interferes with or limits the
155	155	person's role or functioning in family, school or community
156	156	activities;
157	157	D. "serious mental illness" means a diagnosable
158	158	mental, behavioral or emotional disorder in a person eighteen
159	159	years of age or older of sufficient duration to meet diagnostic
160	160	criteria that results in functional impairment that
161	161	substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life
162	162	activities; and
163	163	E. "substance use disorder" means dependence on or
164	164	abuse of alcohol, illicit drugs or psychotherapeutics,
165	165	including prescription pain relievers, sedatives, tranquilizers
166	166	or stimulants, in the past twelve months based on assessments
167	167	of individual diagnostic criteria from the current edition of
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196	196	the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
197	197	published by the American psychiatric association.
198	198	SECTION 3. [NEW MATERIAL] HEALTH CARE AUTHORITY DUTIES--
199	199	PERSONS WITH BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DISABILITIES.--
200	200	A. Subject to the availability of appropriations
201	201	provided expressly for this purpose, the health care authority
202	202	shall:
203	203	(1) acquire, provide or coordinate support and
204	204	services for persons with behavioral health disabilities;
205	205	(2) enter into contracts and provider
206	206	agreements with agencies and persons capable of providing
207	207	support and services to persons with behavioral health
208	208	disabilities; and
209	209	(3) establish advisory councils and task
210	210	forces as necessary to guide the development of and to review
211	211	the operation of support and services to persons with
212	212	behavioral health disabilities.
213	213	B. Support and services shall be provided by the
214	214	health care authority based on individual support and service
215	215	plans developed by an interdisciplinary team. The team is
216	216	responsible for collectively evaluating a person's needs and
217	217	developing an individual support and service plan to meet the
218	218	needs.
219	219	C. The health care authority shall:
220	220	(1) solicit the involvement of persons with
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249	249	behavioral health disabilities and their family members,
250	250	providers, parents, professional organizations and other
251	251	governmental organizations prior to the adoption or revision of
252	252	rules concerning the provision of support, services, standards
253	253	or funding systems; provided that participants shall be
254	254	selected in a manner that reflects geographical, cultural,
255	255	organizational and professional representation across New
256	256	Mexico; and
257	257	(2) develop rules, including policies and
258	258	procedures that, to the extent possible, promote uniformity in
259	259	reimbursement and quality assurance systems regardless of the
260	260	source of funding.
261	261	SECTION 4. [NEW MATERIAL] TEMPORARY PROVISION--DUTIES OF
262	262	HEALTH CARE AUTHORITY--MEDICAID WAIVER PROGRAM.--
263	263	A. The health care authority shall immediately
264	264	conduct monthly meetings with persons with behavioral health
265	265	disabilities and their family members, providers of behavioral
266	266	health services, the university of New Mexico, advocates for
267	267	persons with behavioral health disabilities and county and
268	268	municipal officials who are serving persons with behavioral
269	269	health disabilities to determine the best way to apply to the
270	270	federal centers for medicare and medicaid services for
271	271	authorization to operate a medicaid waiver program for persons
272	272	with behavioral health disabilities. The meetings shall
273	273	continue until the health care authority has submitted an
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302	302	application to the federal centers for medicare and medicaid
303	303	services for authorization to operate a medicaid waiver program
304	304	for residents of New Mexico with behavioral health
305	305	disabilities.
306	306	B. The health care authority shall retain a
307	307	consulting entity to assist the health care authority in the
308	308	development of an application to the federal centers for
309	309	medicare and medicaid services for authorization to operate a
310	310	medicaid waiver program for persons with behavioral health
311	311	disabilities.
312	312	C. No later than December 31, 2025, the health care
313	313	authority shall submit an application to the federal centers
314	314	for medicare and medicaid services for authorization to operate
315	315	a medicaid waiver program for persons with behavioral health
316	316	disabilities, seeking authorization to operate a medicaid
317	317	waiver program for persons with behavioral health disabilities
318	318	that is comparable to New Mexico's home and community-based
319	319	medicaid waiver programs for persons with developmental
320	320	disabilities.
321	321	SECTION 5. APPROPRIATION.--One million one hundred
322	322	thousand dollars ($1,100,000) is appropriated from the general
323	323	fund to the health care authority for expenditure in fiscal
324	324	years 2026 and 2027 to retain a qualified consultant to guide
325	325	the health care authority in the development of an application
326	326	to the federal government for the creation of a behavioral
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355	355	health medicaid waiver program and to hire four full-time
356	356	employees to work exclusively to develop and submit the
357	357	application for a medicaid waiver program. Any unexpended or
358	358	unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2027
359	359	shall revert to the general fund.
360	360	SECTION 6. EMERGENCY.--It is necessary for the public
361	361	peace, health and safety that this act take effect immediately.
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