HOME HEALTH SERVICE DISTANCE LIMITATIONS

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A MEMORIAL
REQUESTING THE HEALTH CARE AUTHORITY TO REEVALUATE CERTAIN
HOME HEALTH SERVICE DISTANCE LIMITATIONS TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO
CARE IN RURAL, FRONTIER AND TRIBAL COMMUNITIES.
WHEREAS, home health agencies play a critical role in
delivering medically necessary skilled nursing, therapy and
supportive services that allow New Mexico residents to
receive care in their homes rather than in institutional
settings; and
WHEREAS, the health care authority's current
administrative rules limit a home health agency to serving
patient-clients who reside within one hundred miles of the
agency's licensed location; and
WHEREAS, this limitation creates administrative and
operational burdens for home health agencies, particularly
those serving large geographic areas with sparse populations,
limited infrastructure and workforce shortages; and
WHEREAS, the reauthorization of the federal Radiation
Exposure Compensation Act is expected to increase demand for
home health services among uranium miners and millers, many
of whom reside in remote frontier areas and on Navajo Nation
tribal lands; and
WHEREAS, these communities already face significant
barriers to accessing health care services due to geographic
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isolation, transportation challenges and limited availability
of providers; and
WHEREAS, the current distance-based limitation on home
health services creates a regulatory barrier that may
unintentionally limit access to medically necessary care for
eligible patients in these underserved regions; and
WHEREAS, the personal care services program administered
by the health care authority allows providers to serve
patients in any county within one hundred miles of a
provider's main or branch office, offering a more flexible
and access-oriented regulatory framework; and
WHEREAS, aligning the health care authority's rules
governing home health service with existing personal care
service policies would promote consistency across programs
while maintaining appropriate oversight and quality
standards;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the health
care authority be requested to reevaluate the administrative
rules governing home health agency service areas, including
the rule that limits a home health agency to serving
patient-clients who reside within one hundred miles of the
agency's licensed location; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this reevaluation prioritize
improving access to home health services for rural, frontier
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and tribal communities, including populations impacted by
radiation exposure; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
transmitted to the secretary of health care authority, the
governor and the legislative health and human services
committee.