HOME HEALTH SERVICE DISTANCE LIMITATIONS

This memorial (HM 31) requests New Mexico's Health Care Authority to reevaluate its rule limiting home health agencies to serving patients within 100 miles of their licensed location. The current rule creates barriers for rural, frontier, and tribal communities - especially those facing geographic isolation and workforce shortages - by restricting agency service areas. The memorial asks the Authority to align home health service rules with existing personal care services policies, which allow broader service areas, to improve access to medically necessary home care. It specifically prioritizes communities impacted by radiation exposure (e.g., uranium miners) and those on Navajo Nation lands. As a memorial, it does not change law but urges regulatory review to address access gaps.