Medical students and professionals will gather Friday at 4:30 p.m. across the street from UNM Hospital to demonstrate support for universal health care.
Ky Stoltzfus, a UNM American Medical Student Association officer, said the U.S. health care system, particularly in New Mexico, fails to cover everybody.
"We have 40 million Americans without health insurance," he said. "Another 40 million don't have enough health insurance."
According to the latest census information, the national average of uninsured people is 14 percent, but the New Mexico average is 24 percent. Stoltzfus said that the rally will exhibit public support for insurance to be based on people's needs rather than their ability to pay.
"The United States is the only industrial, fully-developed country without public health care," he said. "Every other country has universal access."
Stoltzfus added that the United States also is the only country without public health care to have the highest per capita amount of dollars going into health care.
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He said that the groups are advocating for a new system that would reduce administrative costs and provide health care for everyone. If that happens, he added, the number of people protected would increase dramatically.
The rally comes during the middle of a heated debate taking place in Santa Fe as legislators struggle to create a budget that Gov. Gary Johnson will approve. One of Johnson's main concerns is allocating too much money to Medicaid.
Several groups have fought against his decision to take state matching funds away from the program, which is the federal government's answer to low-income families' health care needs.
"I think the Medicaid situation highlights the fact that New Mexico health care is not good," Stoltzfus said. "It highlights the fact that we have a lot of people that don't have adequate health coverage and the situation is not getting any better."
He added that universal health care would help eliminate the Medicaid fight, adding that groups, including nurses' unions and many physicians, have supported several bills during the past decade to initiate universal health care in New Mexico.
Stoltzfus said that the bills were unsuccessful, but a new bill already has been written and will be introduced to the Legislature during the next session.
If the Legislature does approve the bill, he added, then the system will still take several years to implement.
"One out of four New Mexicans doesn't have access to health care at all," Stoltzfus said. "The number may be higher whether or not you consider undocumented people in that figure. So, essentially our situation of health care in New Mexico is in dire straits."
He said people without health insurance only have access to health care in an emergency, when they end up paying out of pocket or, in some counties, are covered by indigent funds.
Stoltzfus said that rally will lead into a the Healing Health Care in New Mexico Summit on Saturday, where physicians from around the country will talk about health care. The summit is at Sandia Preparatory School from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
"We really encourage anyone interested in this issue to join us on Friday," he said.
Those interested in participating in the summit can register by phone at 342-8081.
