OPINION: Talk of the Town

Doctor shortage is biggest issue facing New Mexico

The governor and legislators have it all wrong, again.

A special legislative session to overhaul New Mexico's juvenile crime laws should not be the highest priority. New Mexico's failing health care workforce should be the No. 1 priority.

Anyone currently trying to schedule to see a doctor or specialist or establish a new primary care physician relationship feels the pain when providers say PCPs are not accepting new patients and any available appointments are months out. Most New Mexicans don't have this option, but those who can afford it go to another state for treatment, like our governor who went to Washington, D.C. (multiple times) for her knee replacement.

The health care workforce shortage is so stressing for over-worked doctors and staff that many are leaving the state, and fast. In 2024, New Mexico became the only state in the nation to experience a decline in the number of physicians. New doctors and staff continue to bypass the state because of major road blocks: existing malpractice insurance rates and caps and the lack of multi-state health care compacts, making it easier for doctors licensed in other states to get licensed in New Mexico. In the most recent legislative session these key issues failed to move forward and didn't even get looked at until the very end of the session.

The lawyers who oppose malpractice reform are winning while people continue to suffer. Talk to staff at Lovelace, Optum or Presbyterian and they all say doctors are continuing to leave and new ones do not want to come to New Mexico. It does not feel good living in a state that is not doctor friendly and ranked as one of the worst states for doctors. The state's health care crisis is very real and it is really scary and getting worse every day.

Dave Lewis

Albuquerque

Democrats are supporting the wrong candidates

The unexpected primary victory of Zohran Mamdami for mayor of New York City is a shot across the bow of the Democratic Party. Democrats, who are supposed to be the opposition party, have put more effort into eating their young than attacking Donald Trump. They have gone after a long list of their own young progressives: For instance, they supported Henry Cuellar in Texas, who was facing a federal indictment, against Jessica Cisneros. They elected 74-year-old, Gerry Connolly, who was dying of cancer to the House Oversight Committee over Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is the future of the party. Several Democrats have died in office rather than mentor young replacements.

Bill Clinton, Jim Clyburn, AIPAC, and $25 million of billionaire PAC money, including $8 million from Michael Bloomberg, supported the disgraced Andrew Cuomo's campaign against Mamdani. It is bad enough that they have consistently supported establishment Democrats against young progressives who represent the base of the party now, but to support a scandal-ridden candidate like Cuomo is a new low.

Our own Sen. Ben Ray Luján was petitioned by progressives to stop attacking them when he was chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. With Hakeem Jeffries now choosing the DCCC chairs, things have not improved. Unless establishment Democrats stop being beholden to wealthy donors and get behind progressives with an economic message Americans are hungry for, we will continue to lose elections to MAGA Republicans.

Gary Anderson

Albuquerque