Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

Children are a particularly vulnerable population, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) law will help give them access to quality health care for their entire lives. Six months after the law was enacted, 122,000 New Mexican children had access to health care because insurers could no longer deny them coverage based on a pre-existing condition, such as cancer and diabetes. Additionally, 21,000 young New Mexicans became eligible to remain on their parents insurance plans until their 26th birthday, allowing these young people to focus on things like going to college or getting a job instead of whether or not they will get sick.

New Mexico's children are also benefitting from the following:

• $26.9 million investment in New Mexico's community health centers, which offer preventative and primary health care services to residents in rural parts of the state
• $1.4 million investment in maternal, infant, and early childhood home visiting programs which connect at-risk families with health care professionals who provide care, developmental services for children, early education and parenting skills, and child abuse prevention
• $3.5 million for school-based health centers to help clinics expand and provide more services at New Mexico's schools
• $2.6 million from the Pregnancy Assistance Fund to provide pregnant and parenting teens with support services to help them complete high school and gain access to health care, child care, and other critical support

There are more changes being implemented between now and when the ACA is fully implemented in 2014. Please look at our timeline to get a more comprehensive view of changes, and keep checking my website.