March 1, at 10:00 am, 3845 North Swan Street  – “The New Mexico Health Security Plan, a Homegrown, Quality, Affordable Health Care Plan for All New Mexicans”

This panel presentation will address the legislative, legal, and economic aspects of the New Mexico Health Security Plan, and their potential impact on citizens of New Mexico. The panelists are Dr. Neil Apple, Gayle Simmons, Carolyn Smith and Bill Lindenau.

The panel will present an update on the Health Security for New Mexicans Campaign efforts to pass the Health Security Act in 2021.  The mission of the campaign is to establish a publicly accountable health care system in New Mexico that guarantees comprehensive and affordable health care coverage, including preventive health care and freedom of choice of provider, for all New Mexicans. 

Developed with input from residents around the state, the NM Health Security Plan is structured like a cooperative and will shift private, for-profit insurance to a supplementary role. Plan members will have freedom of choice of health care provider and facility (no more networks), even across state lines, and will receive the same comprehensive health services currently offered to state employees.  The first step is completing a fiscal analysis of the Health Security Plan. Funds to undertake this analysis were allocated to the Legislative Finance Committee during the 2019 legislative session, and the analysis is now in progress. For more information, visit www.nmhealthsecurity.org

Dr. Neil Apple has been in private practice as an ophthalmologist in Silver City and Las Cruces from 1986 until 2018, when he retired from practice. He is interested in herbal medicine, teaches in various places, and leads plant workshops in Peru. He has been involved in the Health Security Campaign since 1990. Gayle Simmons retired from the mom and pop electrical contracting business that she and her husband, Craig Wentz, operated from 1987 to 2017 in Silver City. She worked as the business manager and Craig was the electrical contractor. Gayle has been working to help pass the Health Security Act since 2000, and she is particularly interested in the ways in which the HSA can benefit small businesses and their employees. Carolyn Smith has been a supporter of the Health Security Act for many years and has served on the local committee in Silver City in support of the HSA. Bill Lindenau is a member of the executive board of the Health Security for New Mexicans Campaign.

Although this is not a formal Family Program Sunday, childcare and creative activities will be available for the youngsters.

There will be coffee and conversation after the service, and visitors are always welcome.

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Silver City is a diverse group of religious independents seeking knowledge, spiritual sustenance, fellowship and opportunities for service to others. Our programs encompass humanism, liberal Christianity, earth-based spirituality, Buddhism and many other traditions. If you’d like to find out more, email uufellowshipofsilvercity@gmail.com, visit our website at www.uufsc.com or visit us on Facebook at Unitarian-Universalist-Fellowship-of-Silver-City.