Nearly every New Mexican has experienced the harmful effects of our state’s worsening health care worker shortage, from struggling to find a doctor to waiting months for urgently needed care.
The good news is that state lawmakers have an opportunity to take one simple step that would immediately improve access to health care: joining the majority of other states that participate in interstate compacts for doctors and other health care workers. There are 10 major compacts for health care workers, yet New Mexico only participates in one of them, for nurses.
In brief, these interstate compacts are agreements among states to recognize and accept professional licenses issued by the other states participating in the compact. So, for example, a doctor licensed in Colorado could provide their license information to the New Mexico Medical Board and quickly become licensed to practice here as well…