N.M. Stat. § 27-5-6
Powers and duties of counties relating to indigent care.
A county:
A. may budget for expenditure on ambulance services, burial expenses, hospital or
medical expenses for indigent residents of that county and for costs of development of a
countywide or multicounty health plan. The combined costs of administration and
planning shall not exceed the following percentages of revenues based on the previous
fiscal year revenues for a fund that has existed for at least one fiscal year or based on
projected revenues for the year being budgeted for a fund that has existed for less than
one fiscal year. The percentage of the revenues in the fund that may be used for such
combined administrative and planning costs is equal to the sum of the following:
(1)
ten percent of the amount of the revenues in the fund not over five
hundred thousand dollars ($500,000);
(2)
eight percent of the amount of the revenues in the fund over five hundred
thousand dollars ($500,000) but not over one million dollars ($1,000,000); and
(3)
four and one-half percent of the amount of the revenues in the fund over
one million dollars ($1,000,000);
B. may accept contributions of public funds for county health care services, which
shall be deposited in the fund;
C. may hire personnel to carry out the provisions of the Indigent Hospital and
County Health Care Act;
D. shall transfer to the state by the last day of March, June, September and
December of each year an amount equal to one-fourth of the county's payment
pursuant to Section 27-5-6.2 NMSA 1978. This money shall be deposited in the safety
net care pool fund;
E. shall, in carrying out the provisions of the Indigent Hospital and County Health
Care Act, comply with the standards of the federal Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act of 1996;
F. may provide for the transfer of money from the fund to the county-supported
medicaid fund to meet the requirements of the Statewide Health Care Act [Chapter 27,
Article 10 NMSA 1978]; and
G. may contract with ambulance providers, hospitals or health care providers for the
provision of services for indigent patients domiciled within the county; such services
shall be provided to all non-citizens, regardless of immigration status, if they meet all
other qualifying criteria for such services.