Jay Block, a senator for New Mexico's District 12, said that a bipartisan medical malpractice bill aimed at addressing the rising costs of malpractice insurance was "killed in committee." He made this announcement in a March 25 post on X.
"This is a tragedy," said Block, State Senator. "We tried hard to pass a medical malpractice bill that was bipartisan, and it was killed in committee because of trial lawyers. Sad day for New Mexicans."
Block's remarks were in response to an X post by Lawrence Andrade, who revealed that he and his wife are planning to leave Gallup, New Mexico, where they provide medical services, and relocate to Missouri in August.
Screenshot of Senator Jay Block's March 25 Post on X
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Dr. Lawrence Andrade is a native of Gallup and an alumnus of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. He currently works at Family Medicine Associates in Gallup, offering services such as blood draws for labs, immunizations, and minor surgical procedures.
According to a New Mexico Sun article published this month, Sen. Jim Townsend expressed concerns about the state's declining number of physicians. In an opinion piece for the state GOP, Townsend noted that New Mexico was the only state experiencing a decrease in physicians in 2024, with over 2,200 physician job vacancies. He emphasized that fewer independent doctors remain due to medical malpractice threats and escalating insurance costs, which now exceed $43,000. Townsend further said that legislation passed in 2021 has increased doctors' liability and mentioned that leadership indicated they would not address the issue until trial attorneys were involved.
Jay Block is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and former Sandoval County Commissioner. In 2024, he was elected as the Republican Senator for District 12 after Senator Jerry Ortiz y Pino retired. Block's campaign focused on limited government, economic reform, and veterans' issues. During his time as County Commissioner, he sponsored and passed a Second Amendment resolution designating Sandoval County as a 2A Sanctuary County and played a key role in economic development initiatives.
