Marina Herrera Director, Development and Communications | Rio Grande Foundation
New Mexicans are spending significantly on healthcare, ranking sixth nationally in terms of healthcare expenditure relative to median incomes, according to a recent WalletHub report. The state faces economic challenges and a shortage of medical providers, contributing to this high spending.
WalletHub's analysis included the costs of doctor, dentist, and optometrist visits, as well as prices for ibuprofen and Lipitor across all 50 states. These costs were adjusted against the median monthly income in each state to determine the rankings.
Despite having $61 billion in state government accounts, neither the Legislature nor Governor Lujan Grisham took action during the 2025 legislative session to address the shortage of healthcare providers or reduce associated costs. Additionally, no funds were returned to taxpayers.
Marina Herrera Director, Development and Communications
| Rio Grande Foundation
Michael Cannon, a health policy expert, commented on Medicaid's impact: "Medicaid increases the cost of private health care and insurance, crowds out private health insurance and long-term care insurance, and discourages enrollees from climbing the economic ladder."
Information from this article can be found here.
