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Committee recommends due pass for funding to increase access to vagus nerve stimulation for drug-resistant epilepsy
Summary
House Bill 53 seeks reimbursement increases so more New Mexicans on Medicaid can receive vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy for drug-resistant epilepsy; the Health & Human Services Committee issued a due-pass recommendation after proponents described cost savings and patient impacts.
The House Health & Human Services Committee recommended a due pass on House Bill 53, a bill to increase Medicaid reimbursement for vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy used to treat drug‑resistant epilepsy.
Sponsor Representative Sutton and medical witnesses described VNS as an FDA‑approved treatment option for patients whose seizures are not controlled by medication. Dr. Aaron Carden, a pediatric epilepsy specialist at the University of New Mexico, said New Mexico has very limited access to the procedure and cited roughly 5,800 New Mexicans with drug‑resistant epilepsy, about 2,100 of whom are Medicaid members (figures provided by proponents during testimony).
Family testimony illustrated patient impact. Kim Silvers testified by Zoom about her daughter’s long history of uncontrolled seizures and said the implanted VNS device had reduced seizure duration and improved quality of life. Industry testimony from LivaNova representatives argued that increased outpatient reimbursement would help hospitals cover the cost of implants and that VNS can produce downstream Medicaid savings by reducing emergency visits and hospitalizations.
Committee action: Committee members moved and recorded a due-pass recommendation. Supporters urged that improving reimbursement and local access would remove a health‑equity barrier that currently forces Medicaid patients to travel out of state or rely on multiple covered transports for implant procedures.
Ending: Supporters asked lawmakers to consider the longer-term cost offsets that may follow increased access; no recorded opposition spoke during the hearing.
