ALBUQUERQUE, N. M. – Senate GOP leaders won't return to Washington, D. C., until Monday to renew debate on the replacement for Obamacare. That hasn't stopped opponents of the proposed bill from protesting, in New Mexico and cities across the country, this week.

In Albuquerque on Thursday, Bill Jordan with New Mexico Voices for Children – the group's senior policy advisor and government relations officer – joined Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., at an outdoor news conference at the University of New Mexico.

According to Jordan, 300,000 New Mexico children now rely on Medicaid for health care because the state has been very successful in implementing Obamacare.

"We've done better than almost any state," Jordan told the crowd, "and this bill would hurt us more than almost any other state."

New Mexico is one of eight states with a "trigger" law to automatically undo the Obamacare Medicaid expansion if there's any reduction in federal financial support. In order to shoulder a larger share of health-care costs for low-income residents, Jordan said the state would need to implement substantial tax increases or slash other essential state services.

He pointed out that New Mexico's Medicaid services have already been trimmed due to the state's 2017 budget woes. So, while other, wealthier states might be able to pick up some Medicaid costs to offset the loss of federal dollars, New Mexico isn't one of them.

As he put it, "These are kids whose families have no other option for health care. There is nothing else. There is no other payer source."

Jordan added that more than 70 percent of births reported in the state are paid for by Medicaid.

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated nationwide, 22 million more Americans would be without insurance in 10 years if the Senate bill is passed in its current form.




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ARLINGTON, Va. - Although COVID-19 rates have gone down, the virus continues to hit the Hispanic community especially hard. Now, a new campaign aims to reduce health disparities and combat vaccine misinformation to keep Latinos healthy.

Across the nation, the Hispanic vaccination rate is alarmingly low, according to Georgetown University president Dr. Federico Asch, board director of the American Heart Association's Greater Washington Region, which is sponsoring the campaign. He said "Stay Fuerte for All" encourages health-care providers to address language barriers and correct misinformation about the vaccine.

"It's extremely important," he said, "that when we communicate to the Hispanic community, we do it in our language so they can understand that they have access to health care that is indeed provided in Spanish, so they can have a more direct and fluid communication with providers."

Virginia is one of a few states that's succeeded in reaching a higher number of Latinos for COVID vaccinations, with about 65% fully vaccinated as of this week, according to the state health department. But the rate is much lower in some regions - just 45% in the seven cities of Hampton Roads.

Asch said it's important to target the Hispanic community because it includes so many essential workers, who've had to go into places of employment and face higher COVID risks. He added that some are employed in low-wage jobs that don't offer affordable health insurance, leaving them prone to underlying health conditions.

"Hispanics tend to have much higher rates of comorbidities that predispose them to serious forms of COVID-19," he said. "For example, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and lung disease."

He said he wants folks to know that there's no cost for the vaccine, and no special documentation is needed, other than an ID for proof of age to get one. They're available for all people age 12 and older, and it's expected that regulators will make the vaccine available to 5- to-11-year-olds in the coming weeks.

BEND, Ore. - Veterans returning home sometimes struggle to find a place where they feel like they belong. In Central Oregon, a ranch is supporting them with help from the land.

Alison Perry founded Central Oregon Veterans Ranch. A licensed trauma therapist with a brother who's an active-duty helicopter pilot. she's now the ranch's executive director. Veterans work together on the 19-acre farm, which started in 2015 as a form of "eco-therapy," which Perry said has proven healing benefits. She called the ranch "agri-therapy."

"Growing things, taking care of things and being connected to nature is really about fostering a sense of creativity - being creative and participating in the creative process - as opposed to what combat veterans are trained for, which is destruction," she said.

The ranch includes a working greenhouse in partnership with the Oregon Department of Agriculture that sells produce to a local restaurant. The property includes a four-bedroom home licensed as a foster home. Therapy is based on peer support, and the ranch hosts support groups for post-traumatic stress disorder and veterans-only A-A meetings.

Perry said the goals are to connect veterans with each other and reduce the stigma for veterans transitioning into civilian life. She said she hears from some who say the ranch saved their life. She said she hopes it goes beyond that - toward helping people thrive.

"The medical model, the VA included, is really focused on just addressing the symptoms of PTSD," she said. "What we're interested in at the ranch, and what we're doing, is fostering post-traumatic growth."

Perry said she believes this model can be implemented in other communities. The ranch is in talks with folks from other states, as well as veterans on the Oregon coast who are interested in this peer-support model.

"They've been to the ranch," she said, "and they understand the uniqueness of that combination of the agriculture, the environment, the sense of place and the peer support."

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A new tool from AARP is designed to help veterans navigate the complex system of figuring out which benefits they may qualify for, and how to access them.

The Veterans Health Benefits Navigator has detailed health-care information from the U.S. Department of Veterans' Military Tricare, Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance.

U.S. Army veteran Charles Williams, who's also on AARP Kentucky's Volunteer Executive Council, pointed out the resource will also aid new caregivers as they get up to speed on the options available for their veteran loved one.

"And they can pick up on a series of avenues and resources that direct them to what they're looking for," said Williams, "what they need to do, and how to get there."

According to AARP data, around 24% of Kentucky's more than 300,000 veterans have relied on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for health care, and about 7% are uninsured.

Find the benefits tool online at 'AARP.org/VetsHealthNavigator.' There's also a toll-free Veterans Health Benefits Assistance hotline: 877-222-8387.

With more than 340,000 veterans nationwide diagnosed with COVID-19 and nearly 15,000 deaths reported by the V.A. medical centers, Williams added that access to health care is a growing concern.

"I hope folks will go to that website I've identified," said Williams, "and take advantage of what is available to them."

Researchers estimate the cost of caring for post-9/11 veterans, through medical care and disability benefits, could reach up to $2.5 trillion by 2050.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 40% of veterans who served in the post-9/11 era qualify for disability benefits, compared to to fewer than 25% of those who served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the first Gulf War.