The proposed bill amends the Health Care Consolidation Oversight Act to enhance the review process for transactions involving mergers, acquisitions, or changes in control of hospitals and certain health care provider organizations. It broadens the definition of "transaction" to encompass various forms of control changes and establishes a requirement for the health care authority to review these transactions. The bill introduces whistleblower protections, administrative penalties for violations, and repeals the delayed repeal of the act, ensuring its continued enforcement. Additionally, it mandates the health care authority to post public information about proposed transactions and conduct public comment forums to gather community input, while outlining the authority's responsibilities in assessing the impact of these transactions on health care access, costs, and quality.

The bill also establishes a framework for assessing administrative fines for violations, with fines up to $5,000 for each instance of violation and up to $10,000 for willful violations. It imposes additional fines for failure to provide required notice of a proposed transaction, including daily fines of up to $15,000 for willful failures. Collected fines are to be deposited into the state treasury for the benefit of the current school fund. Furthermore, the bill clarifies the authority of the attorney general in protecting consumers and maintaining competitive markets, establishes personal jurisdiction for New Mexico courts over parties involved in transactions under the act, and requires entities to adopt whistleblower protection policies. It also mandates the annual posting of hospital ownership information on the authority's website, with an effective date of July 1, 2025, for its provisions.

Statutes affected:
JC substitute: 59A-63-1, 59A-63-2, 59A-63-3, 59A-63-4, 59A-63-5, 59A-63-6, 59A-63-7, 59A-63-8
Final Version: 59A-63-1, 59A-63-2, 59A-63-3, 59A-63-4, 59A-63-5, 59A-63-6, 59A-63-7, 59A-63-8