New Mexico health freedom bumped off main track

by ken winston caine

New Mexico’s “health-freedom” Senate Bill 18 got bumped off the rails just as it was picking up speed, due to some behind-the-scenes political maneuvering.

The New Mexico Medical Board had vowed to stop the act which would have clarified that traditional, cultural, complementary and alternative healing are not subject to regulation by state licensing boards. But the Senate Judiciary Committee rejected the Medical Board arguments and sent the bill to the Senate floor with a “do pass” recommendation.

And while the bill was on the Senate agenda to be debated in several sessions, it was never heard.

Wynn Werner, one of the driving forces behind the legislation and a founder of the New Mexico Complementary and Alternative Medicine Project which promoted it, explained, in this memo:

NMCAAMP & SB 18 Supporters,

I have just heard from our lobbyist Mike Walker.
It appears that SB 18 is being deliberately postponed and delayed on the Senate Floor as a tactic to kill the bill even though we have the Senate votes to pass it.
He has been told that it will never be heard this session and believes that there is nothing we can do to change this.
What is worse is that if we try to bully our way, and it fails, we could ruin our chances of ever getting it passed in the Senate and really make trouble with the NM Medical Board. The word is that “our group” needs to work things out with the NM Medical Board in the coming months.

Senator Komidina is introducing another Senate Memorial that will create a new study group composed of:
SB 18 Supporters (NMCAAMP)
NM Health Policy Commission
NM Medical Society, represented by Randy Marshall
NM Board of Medicine, represented by a Board Member
NM Department of Licensing and Regulation
NM Attorney Generals office

Mike can see and has been told that this bill has / is one of the most controversial and talked about bills this session. And that the agencies mentioned above are truly motivated to “work things out” and to develop a more mature statute.

At this point it seems there is nothing else to do but to take this information at its face value and be prepared in the next year to create a more fully developed piece of legislation. Apparently the NM agencies now understand the deep and widespread support of NM citizens who participate in traditional, cultural, complementary and alternative medicine. (i.e. Those health care disciplines that do not currently have state licensing.)

It seems that there is no need for NMCAAMP meetings until after the legislative session.
Mike Walker, our lobbyist would like to talk to us after the session ends on March 17. So we should plan an NMCAAMP meeting on Wednesday night March 21 (Vernal Equinox, how auspicious can you get) at our regular time and place.

-in the spirit of friendship, freedom and truth

-wynn werner