Health Care Ranking

The executive summary of the U.S. Index of Health Ownership explains, "The U.S. Index of Health Ownership is the first effort to measure the degree to which individuals, be they patients, health professionals, entrepreneurs, or taxpayers, 'own' the health care in their states. It quantifies how state laws and regulations affect the liberty of citizens involved in state government
health plans (primarily Medicaid), the private health-insurance market, and the provision of medical
services. In addition, the Index assesses the effect of medical tort on people’s freedom to engage
health services."
Overall, New Mexico ranks 22nd once the 24 variables are summed into four categories. The state is in the bottom five for two categories and leads in one.
New Mexico's lowest rank is for state government health care, The report says, "New Mexico, at 48th, seriously underinvests in prescription drugs, is much too dependent on federal matching payments, and has overexpanded Medicaid eligibility."
In state provider burden of regulation, "New Mexico takes this category because of few restrictions on nurse practitioners’
scope of practice and the corporate practice of medicine."
The index is available from the Pacific Research Institute. John R. Graham is the author. See http://special.pacificresearch.org/pub/sab/health/2007/IHOP/.