Allen Weh
“I am vehemently opposed to any bill that will force New Mexicans to carry the weight of a federal government health care program,” Allen Weh says
Republican gubernatorial candidate Allen Weh called health care legislation being debated by the U.S. Senate “another unfunded federal mandate” that will “lay the groundwork for tax increases in New Mexico.”
In a news release he’s calling on Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall, D-N.M., to oppose “the government-run health care plan.”
“Our New Mexico senators must make sure they work for everyone in this state, insisting on serious tort reform and competition among the insurance companies in order to make health care more affordable for all,” Weh said in the release. “I urge them to oppose this legislation and its resulting tax increases, and encourage them to find solutions that will keep the federal government out of the doctor’s office.”
Weh said he supports tort reform and a change that would authorize insurance companies to operate across state lines. Weh said he also wants to streamline administrative processes in the medical industry and pass along those savings to patients.
“Some reports estimate that more than 30 percent of New Mexicans would be eligible for Medicaid under the current health care bill because it requires states to provide the service for adults whose income is at or below 150 percent of the poverty level. That means New Mexico would have to cover the additional costs,” Weh said.
Weh, 67 and a prostate cancer survivor, said a government-run health care plan would be dictated by the same Washington, D.C., bureaucrats who said last week that mammograms are no longer necessary for all women under the age of 50. Weh said he supports early detection and preventive care, something that will likely be jeopardized by this bill.
“I am vehemently opposed to any bill that will force New Mexicans to carry the weight of a federal government health care program,” Weh said. “I call on Sens. Bingaman and Udall to support health care legislation that meets the needs of all New Mexicans and not just the wishes of the vocal, liberal faction in their political party.”
Last Saturday, Weh met with health care professionals and voters outside of Gerald Champion Hospital in Alamogordo in conjunction with the Million Med March — a movement of health care officials who are opposed to the health care bill in Congress. There, he advocated early detection and preventive medicine.
“In a state where almost 8,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year, it is imperative that New Mexicans have the ability to seek early detection that can help save their lives,” Weh said. “This bill is clearly on track to undermine those efforts.”
He did not say how that would be paid for by people without insurance.
Weh, a former state GOP chariman, faces Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez, state Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones and public relations professional Doug Turner in the gubernatorial primary.