Let鈥檚 Talk New Mexico 4/6 8am: It鈥檚 hard to get an appointment with a doctor right now and recent data helps explain why. From 2017 to 2021 the number of primary care physicians in the state dropped by 30%, and specialists are leaving too. Some providers are leaving for another profession or retiring, but others are leaving New Mexico for better pay or for more balanced lives in states with more robust healthcare systems.
In the most recent legislative session, lawmakers suggested some solutions for our healthcare system that could spur retention and recruiting, like putting lower caps on malpractice liability so insurance would be cheaper, raising medicaid repayment rates, and helping doctors repay student loans and giving tax incentives for staying in state. About half of the proposed bills did not make it out of committees.
On the next Let鈥檚 Talk New Mexico we鈥檒l explore the question, 鈥淚s there still a doctor in the house?鈥� Have you struggled to see a healthcare provider? Are you a provider who is overwhelmed by the number of patients you see? Do you have ideas that could help bolster our beleaguered healthcare system? Email us at LetsTalk@kunm.org or call in live during the show.
Guests:
- Carrie Robin Brunder, Lobbyist, on behalf of the
- Mark Depper M.D., President,
- Representative R.N., R-Deming
- Matthew Probst P.A., Sunrise Family Health Clinic (Las Vegas, NM), Director of Rural Engagement, UNM
- Valerie Romero-Leggot M.D., Vice President and Executive Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer,
Related Reading:
- Searchlight New Mexico
- Albuquerque Journal
- Albuquerque Journal
- Santa Fe New Mexican
- University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
