The Legislative Health and Human Services Committee, chaired by Representative Elizabeth "Liz" Thomson, held a session in Albuquerque to discuss the impact of medical malpractice claims on healthcare providers in New Mexico. The presentation was delivered by Bernard Black, a former professor who has been disbarred. Both Republican and Democratic members expressed skepticism about the data and conclusions presented.
Senators David Gallegos, Nicole Tobiassen, and Jay Block criticized the session's content. They said: "Progressive Democrats such as Liz Thompson would rather shield trial attorneys with lies and misinformation than truly represent the needs of everyday New Mexicans who are begging for commonsense solutions to improve their access to quality healthcare." They further commented on the choice of speaker: "For this committee to invite a disbarred lawyer and controversial professor such as Bernard Black proves our point; he came before lawmakers today and used biased and irrelevant statistics in order to undermine the lived experiences of every New Mexican."
The meeting was seen as a response to public concerns about healthcare access in New Mexico. The senators argued that unless Democrats prioritize constituents' needs over those of trial attorneys, the state will continue losing doctors, affecting families and communities.
Information from this article can be found here.
