Author Archives | Nandini Kuehn
Nandini Kuehn is a health care consultant active in supporting health reform In New Mexico. She has over 25 years of experience in health care administration, program evaluation, and innovative service delivery issues.
Health Reform In The Cross Fire
As the Federal Exchange continues to frustrate all of us, we are also seeing other aspects of the ACA surface and become the fodder of attacks and misinformation. While some benefits started early in 2010, other, more complex changes specifically related to the infrastructure of insurance reform start now that is causing further angst. But then, as we see, it’s easy to blame everything on the ACA...
Continue reading...Health Reform Update: Off to a Rocky Start
15. October 2013
The Health Insurance Exchange is the only mechanism we have at the moment to extend health care to the uninsured and I was as disappointed as anyone with the Federal Exchange’s inability to handle the high volume of hits to its website and then to fix the problems two weeks into implementation. I hear it is getting better but still not smooth sailing...
Continue reading...Countdown to Health Reform III
02. October 2013
The New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange opened October 1, and it is clear there are some hiccups as an enterprise as massive as this one moves into action. But they will get over these growing pains and will get it together. Individuals without coverage or those wanting to change their coverage will have six months (October 1, 2013 – March 31, 2014) to enroll through the Exchange. Anyone can enroll now, but the policies will not be effective until January 1, 2014. So you have time to learn about using the Exchange.
Below are a few suggestions for those who want to purchase coverage...
Continue reading...Countdown to Health Reform II
18. September 2013
With less than two weeks to go, a critical component of the ACA, the New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange, unveiled its new look and commitment to becoming part of the landscape of New Mexico starting October 1, 2013. The new website was unveiled Tuesday morning and you can check it out at: BeWellNM.com. In addition, the Exchange is getting ready to initiate a campaign of radio and television advertisements touting its services shortly...
Continue reading...Countdown to health care reform
03. September 2013
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is barely one month away from its first major milestone on October 1, 2013 when Health Insurance Exchanges (HIX) will be operational. The HIX is the marketplace for individual and small businesses to purchase affordable health insurance. As this deadline approaches, a flurry of anxiety and confusion will inevitably surface. Change is never easy even when it’s simple – and changes in health care are never simple...
Continue reading...To repair or destroy
08. August 2013
The Human Services Division (HSD) which funds Behavioral and Mental Health as well as Medicaid has concluded that 15 New Mexico Mental and Behavioral Health Services that have served their communities for decades have been so fraudulent on her watch that only the nuclear option was possible. She plans to shut them down and bring Arizona agencies to the rescue. HSD has no stomach apparently to fix our system if it’s broken, to build New Mexico capacity and grow New Mexico jobs. New Mexico tax revenues will ship off to Arizona. There should be no surprise that this is seen as part of a purely political agenda to privatize the not-for-profit mental health providers in the state...
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13. November 2013
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