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The Latest: N.M. Senators voice concerns with health overhaul

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Latest on potential effects of health care reform in New Mexico (all times local): 2 p.m. New Mexico's two senators have joined dozens of their colleagues in warning Republican leaders in the House that they will not support the current proposal to overhaul the Affordable Care Act. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich issued the statement Friday as House Speaker Paul Ryan withdrew the legislation after President Donald Trump asked him to halt debate without a vote. Heinrich and Udall say the bill could have a devastating effect on New Mexico, where the Medicaid population has swelled to more than 40 percent in recent years. The insurance superintendent's office says tens of thousands of New Mexicans could lose out on coverage if changes are made, and the state's uninsured rate could end up doubling over the next decade. ___ 9:47 a.m. State insurance regulators project "a major potential impact" for New Mexico from Republican plans to overhaul former President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, according to an analysis released Friday. If the changes are enacted, the regulators estimate more than 45,000 adults who had benefited from expanded Medicaid eligibility could be dropped from the program. The analysis also shows the rolls of those with individual coverage plans would shrink by more than 22,000 if the federal government eliminates fines on those who do not obtain coverage and subsidies for those who purchase insurance. The proposal also would end Medicaid expansion and trim future federal financing for the federal-state program. The state Office of the Superintendent of Insurance released its report as Congress moved closer to a possible vote on the proposed overhaul. Expansion in New Mexico — approved in 2013 by Republican Gov. Susana Martinez — has been a major driver for bringing more low-income New Mexico residents onto the rolls and slashing the rate of those who are uninsured. Under the proposed health insurance changes, regulators said, the uninsured rate in New Mexico would double to 18 percent by 2026. That's close to the rate of people without insurance before the current law took effect. New Mexico's sole Republican on Capitol Hill, Rep. Steve Pearce, has been studying revisions to the GOP plan and has been among the lawmakers meeting with the White House in recent days. "I have serious concerns that the proposed legislation will not lower costs or give access to more health care for New Mexican families," he said Thursday. "I will keep advocating for a viable solution that brings affordability and accessibility to New Mexicans." The insurance superintendent's analysis was based mostly on a review by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which found 24 million people nationwide would lose their health insurance over a decade.