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Nurse‑led proposal asks Legislature to allow PPO and EPO options on BEWell NM exchange
Summary
A nurse practitioner presented a policy brief urging the committee to study BEWell NM’s HMO‑only design and to solicit reports from BEWell and the Office of Superintendent of Insurance on operational pathways to add PPO and EPO options for rural and border communities.
Shawna Reed Richards, a nurse practitioner and doctoral candidate from Hobbs, urged the Legislative Health & Human Services Committee to explore adding broader plan types to New Mexico’s exchange to expand provider networks for rural families.
"My policy initiative is simple and feasible. Be Well NM, our state insurance marketplace, offers only HMO plans," Reed Richards said in public comment. She described how HMO network limits led to delays and denials for her family, including difficulty accessing a pediatric endocrinologist after her son’s type‑1 diabetes diagnosis.
Her three‑part request to the committee asked that BEWell and the Office of Superintendent of Insurance (OSI) report on operational pathways to add PPO and EPO options; that the committee schedule hearings to hear from patients, clinicians, brokers and insurers on access barriers under an HMO‑only design; and that the Legislature consider bipartisan enabling legislation in 2027 to allow PPO/EPO offerings on the exchange.
Committee and lawmaker reaction: Representative Anaya and other committee members thanked Reed Richards and public commenters; several legislators described their own concerns with network adequacy and said they will follow up. Representative Luhan noted questions about settlement structures and other issues but expressed support for further analysis and discussion at the summit and subsequent committee work.
Next steps: Reed Richards said she had provided a one‑page policy brief to staff and offered to serve as a resource. Chair noted staff had received the proposal by email and that the committee expects to explore the issue further as part of the insurance and access conversation ahead of future sessions.
