The Affordable Care Act says health insurers can鈥檛 deny coverage for someone or charge them more if they have a pre-existing condition.
State senators approved 21-14 Thursday night that would protect folks in case that law is weakened or repealed. It now heads to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham's desk.
The bill is essentially a fail-safe in case President Donald Trump鈥檚 administration further dismantles the ACA or dissolves it all together.
Democratic Representative Liz Thomson of Albuquerque sponsored the measure.
鈥淧eople are really worried,鈥� Thomson said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of talk out there that the Trump administration is not going to protect us and so I felt like New Mexicans needed to be protected.鈥�
A quarter of New Mexican adults under 65 have a pre-existing condition, by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. If it weren鈥檛 for the Affordable Care Act, insurers could reject people for having things like autism or a heart condition.
The measure died in committee earlier this week, but then the committee chair changed his vote, keeping it alive.
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