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Interstate compact licenses may help reduce administrative barriers and improve telehealth access in certain situations, and that is a step worth supporting. But New Mexicans deserve honesty about what compact licenses will not solve.

A compact license does not guarantee that a physician will move to New Mexico, open a practice here, work at a local hospital or build a long-term career in our communities. It does not solve physician retention, reopen clinics, staff rural areas, reduce workforce burnout, address reimbursement challenges or lower the operational costs driving providers out of our state. It does not fix the severe shortage of primary care providers and specialists affecting families across New Mexico, nor does it resolve the months- to sometimes year-long wait times patients face trying to access care. It also does not address nursing shortages or the overcrowding of hospitals and emergency rooms straining healthcare systems statewide.

Most importantly, compact licenses do not replace the need for physicians physically practicing in our communities.

Telehealth can supplement healthcare access, particularly in rural areas, but it is not a substitute for healthcare infrastructure. Many specialties still require in-person evaluations, procedures, hospital coverage, emergency response and continuity of care that cannot happen exclusively through a screen. Federal reimbursement changes are already scaling back some pandemic-era telehealth flexibility, making it even more important that New Mexico focus on rebuilding an actual healthcare workforce instead of relying primarily on remote access solutions.

The larger issue is that New Mexico continues losing healthcare professionals without replacing them. Providers leave because of low reimbursement rates, rising operational and staffing costs, workforce shortages, burnout, weak workforce pipelines, limited residency and training opportunities, ongoing administrative burdens and the growing difficulty of building financially sustainable practices in New Mexico.

Real reform requires creating an environment where healthcare professionals can build sustainable long-term practices and where their families want to live and work. That means addressing the root causes driving providers out of New Mexico, not simply placing a temporary Band-Aid on the problem through compact licenses that may expand access on paper but do little to actually bring long-term healthcare providers back to our state.

The healthcare crisis in New Mexico requires qualified leadership from someone who has actually worked in healthcare and understands firsthand how these systems operate in the real world. New Mexico does not need more political talking points from career politicians who have watched this crisis worsen year after year. We need leaders with direct experience in patient care, healthcare operations, staffing, reimbursement challenges, workforce recruitment and the realities providers and patients face every day across this state.

Compact licenses may speed up paperwork and make it easier administratively for physicians to practice across state lines, but they do not make healthcare professionals choose to live, practice and raise families in New Mexico. New Mexico families deserve real solutions, experienced leadership and long-term action focused on rebuilding healthcare access across the entire state.

Jahnelle Garcia is the Republican candidate for New Mexico House District 27.