Stop the Bleeding; A Conversation on the Mass Exodus of Doctors in NM

In this week’s episode of The Chile Wire, we sit down with Keon Ahghar to unpack the truth behind New Mexico’s medical malpractice crisis — and how it’s putting patients’ access to high-quality healthcare at risk.

We also breakdown the policy failures that have opened the door for out-of-state trial lawyers to swoop in, file massive lawsuits, and walk away with millions — all while our doctors, hospitals, and patients pay the price. It’s a feeding frenzy that’s bleeding our healthcare system and pushing providers out of New Mexico.

Tune in to hear how we got here, what’s really driving the crisis, and what needs to change to protect patients, not profiteers. 

What is The Chile Wire?

Real News For Real New Mexicans.

Abe Baldonado: 00:11

The Chile Wire with Abe Baldonado. Hey, y'all. Welcome back to The Chile Wire. This week, I am excited because we are gonna talk about one of the most important issues hurting our state right now, and that is medical malpractice. And with me today is my guest, Keon Ahghar, who's a dentist out of Roswell, and I am excited to introduce him.

Abe Baldonado: 00:32

And I am excited to have you on the show, man.

Keon Ahghar: 00:33

Yeah, man. Appreciate it.

Abe Baldonado: 00:34

We've had a lot of conversations just privately over the last few months. Yeah. Your interest and your passion on the medical malpractice issues that are surrounding our state, but it's great to have you on here. Before I let you, you know, kind

Keon Ahghar: 00:48

of share with us

Abe Baldonado: 00:49

a little bit more who you are, what you do, this is the first time on the Chili Wire. I know this isn't your first time on a podcast.

Keon Ahghar: 00:55

Yeah.

Abe Baldonado: 00:56

But I gotta ask you, red or green? Oh. You're from Southern New Mexico, man.

Keon Ahghar: 01:00

So so I'm gonna go I'm gonna go against the Southern New Mexico grain because I'm actually I'm from I'm from Northern New Mexico, but I green chile. And I'll and I'll tell you why green chile. I love red chile. I love green chile. Smells like home.

Abe Baldonado: 01:12

Yep.

Keon Ahghar: 01:12

That that The roasting of a green chile. Yeah. You, like, you know, the it's like it's like people everywhere else in the world, people think about, like, pumpkin spice lattes and stuff. Dude, I smell think about, like, walking into Albertsons, you got that roasting green chile outside. And sometimes I just, like, sit there and I just, like, watch it.

Keon Ahghar: 01:27

And it's like, you know, I'm so I'm I'm from New Mexico. I'm born and raised here, went to UNM, and, you know, I remember coming I left left for dental school and came back. And I remember that first fall coming back, I was like, man, I'm home. You know? When I was like, why you just you know, I think it was, like, Smith's or something and, just that smell, dude.

Keon Ahghar: 01:49

That's just that's just it's just

Abe Baldonado: 01:51

You don't get it anywhere else.

Keon Ahghar: 01:52

No. You don't get it anywhere else, and and everybody else tries to, you know, copy it and stuff. But, man, that roasted green chile, and then and then it just it does signals all the cool stuff. You know? You got the balloon fiestas and

Abe Baldonado: 02:02

the Yep.

Keon Ahghar: 02:02

All that kind of stuff. So, man, it's a I have to go green just because it just green is green reminds me of home, you know? So and I love this place.

Abe Baldonado: 02:12

I agree. And it's the only one that you could really put on a tortilla with butter and maybe bologna.

Keon Ahghar: 02:16

Have a

Abe Baldonado: 02:17

really good morning or afternoon snack.

Keon Ahghar: 02:20

That's true. Yeah.

Abe Baldonado: 02:20

Well, Kion, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Keon Ahghar: 02:23

Yeah.

Abe Baldonado: 02:24

The work that you do. I'm really excited to talk to you today about medical malpractice and some of the issues that are happening there. Yeah. And I think there's been a lot of emphasis on certain parts of medical malpractice, but there's some deeper issues with it that we're going to dive into today. But I just want to give you a moment to introduce yourself, highlight some of the work that you're doing.

Abe Baldonado: 02:45

But also, what's great today is this is someone who's actually impacted by our current medical malpractice laws.

Keon Ahghar: 02:51

Right. You know, so so yeah. So I'm so I'm a dentist here in New Mexico. You know, like I said, was born here in Albuquerque, raised here, went to high school here, went to UNM. You know, shout out to the UNM football team doing awesome things and but but but, you know, when when I graduated from dental school, I came back to my residency at UNM and then ended up going to Roswell because I had job offers all over the country and stuff, but but ended up going to Roswell really because it was one of the most underserved communities in

Abe Baldonado: 03:20

the state.

Keon Ahghar: 03:21

Mhmm. And ended up falling in love with the community. It's good people. And, you know, I see people the type of my my practice is primarily oral surgery, and and so I see people every single day that drive two plus hours to come see me, which is crazy. But I I appreciate those people so much for trusting me with their care.

Keon Ahghar: 03:44

And if I didn't see them, they would be driving five hours, you know Yeah. If my partner didn't see them and and the other doctors in our office. So so a big thing for me was, you know, we own a small family owned practice. It's just me and my partner, and we started it, you know, 2018 and really just with an emphasis on serving our community. We were one of the you know, we see patients with special needs.

Keon Ahghar: 04:07

We do a lot of surgery, take call at the hospital. I mean, we do we do our best to serve our community. And and and I'll be honest, our community takes care of us too, you know,

Abe Baldonado: 04:15

and

Keon Ahghar: 04:15

we have good people here in New Mexico. And I think, you know, there's so much upside in New Mexico. And and I and I I catch myself I'm not, like, super I don't represent any groups. I represent me. But but more than that, the reason why I care so much about this malpractice stuff is I represent my parents, my neighbors, my my wife, my children, you know, the kids in my in my kids' school and stuff, like, my patients, my community, that I'm from here.

Keon Ahghar: 04:42

You know? And and, honestly, when I say that, like, living in New Mexico shouldn't be a death sentence, and I in a lot of ways, it's getting that way, I'm not exaggerating. It's really gotten to that point, and New Mexicans deserve from me, I think they deserve better. I know they deserve better. And our and we'll get into, like we can talk I wanna talk more about all this stuff, but, you know, it's it's I don't represent the physicians.

Keon Ahghar: 05:06

I don't represent the dentist. To me, the reason why this is so important is because I represent, you know, my wife who had to leave the state for medical care after two years of six month wait list between specialists and getting know, we're talking you know, it took us two years, and we probably saw five specialists. And most of the time, we were just waiting waiting for tests, waiting for X rays. It it was and it was devastating. You know?

Keon Ahghar: 05:31

And and ended up going out of the state and end up seeing six different specials in one week. You know? Just, you know, drove up I-twenty 5 to Denver and, you know, two years of of of not being able to live her life was taken you know, were they able to be resolved and and diagnosed properly and taken care of. I mean, she went to UNM. She went to, you know, all of nothing against UNM, but at the same time, it's like, you know, it's just we did I think New Mexicans deserve better, and that's that's that's who I represent, and that's who I wanna champion because I'm looking around and I'm seeing a wrong, you know, and I think that if people knew what I knew, they would also be up in arms.

Keon Ahghar: 06:14

Yeah. You know? And and and I'm not super eloquent. I'm not super smart. It's just one of those things that I look around, and it's so obvious what I see.

Keon Ahghar: 06:23

You know? And and so, you know, and and I what I love to see, though not that I love to see, but I'm happy to see is it's getting more traction. Right? Yeah. Because, honestly, eventually, truth comes out.

Keon Ahghar: 06:35

Right? You can you can hide behind lies for a while, but eventually, the truth comes out. And you're seeing that. Now you're seeing, you know, the Albuquerque Journal, I think, today came out with a study that I think sixty percent it was fifty nine percent of people in Albuquerque are having a hard time getting into a doctor. Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 06:56

Sixty nine or fifty nine percent. That's that's almost sixty percent. They can't even go to the doctor or specialist. Right? That doesn't that's not good for people.

Keon Ahghar: 07:05

Right? It's not good for people. And so I think it's, you know, it's one of those things. And and and so, you know, I could sit there and talk about all the problems, and I think the why is more important. Right?

Keon Ahghar: 07:12

I think I think talking about the why and stuff is really important. So so like I said, I'm I'm I'm a hometown home you know, you know, I'm a, you know, homie. But Yeah. You know, hometown, you know, New Mexican, and I just care about this because I'm watching my parents get older, and I'm I worry about it.

Abe Baldonado: 07:32

Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 07:32

Right? Absolutely. I I I have, you know, a good friend of mine. His dad passed away, and he passed away on a wait list to be seen.

Abe Baldonado: 07:44

And that and that and that's not unusual right now. Right? That it's actually become more common, unfortunately.

Keon Ahghar: 07:50

One of my best friends called me in in December. His hand his aunt had died, And she had she was on month nine of a wait list to get into other cardiologists in Albuquerque, had been to multiple ER visits, you know, and literally was had left one ER because she'd waited so long to be seen. Then finally, she was just tired, not feeling good, went home, and died. Heart attack. I'm Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 08:18

Shit. Well, shit. Yeah. It was it was it was some kind of cardiovascular event. And and it's just like, man, these are people's loved ones.

Keon Ahghar: 08:25

These are those are someone's mother who now will never see her grandchildren. Her grandchildren will never know her because we couldn't get it together as a state. And I'm not saying, you know, everybody's at fault. I I know who's at fault. Right?

Keon Ahghar: 08:38

But we need to hold this yeah. Well, we need we need to hold these people. We only hold them accountable because the thing is, like, our our mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters should not be dying because of a profit system Yeah. That makes money for a few. Right?

Abe Baldonado: 08:53

And there it is, Kion. And I wanna dive into that is why did we get here? And and how did we get here?

Keon Ahghar: 09:00

Yeah.

Abe Baldonado: 09:00

Yeah. Because there's there's two things there, why and how. Right. And I wanna kinda have you kinda share how did we get here? Why did we

Keon Ahghar: 09:11

get here? So I think real quick, just to kinda lay the land lay the land. So so there's we're talking about malpractice. What is malpractice? Malpractice is, you know, it's a mistake or an error that's made when you're trying to take care of someone.

Keon Ahghar: 09:24

Right? And it's it's human error. Now sometimes malpractice is, you know, the doctor's at fault. Sure. But sometimes things happen.

Keon Ahghar: 09:33

Right? But the whole point of malpractice is to help make the patient whole when they are harmed. Right? And but to also understand Which that

Abe Baldonado: 09:40

you as a doctor don't disagree with.

Keon Ahghar: 09:42

Absolutely not. No. No. So so so I I sit on our state's anesthesia committee. Right?

Keon Ahghar: 09:47

And so we review cases, and we we discuss these things. And I see the cases that we hey. I'm we need to take this person's license away. That's fine. You know?

Keon Ahghar: 09:55

And I I I strongly believe that. Because if I see someone who's harming people and I think it's you know, they just hey. We need to or figure out a way to help them. But I also see so many cases where it's like, you know, I it's it's interesting. There were cases that were presented that that the trial attorneys and and their representatives love to talk about that I actually know inside information about that I can't talk about.

Keon Ahghar: 10:21

But I know the whole story, and the whole story is not always told. It's always spun in a way. Now I think malpractice is important because we need to there's a there's a balance. Right? And and I think that you should be able to practice in a way that your main focus is on care.

Keon Ahghar: 10:40

It's not defensive medicine. Right? Right. You you should you should so that that's where that balance comes in. And now you're seeing more and more and more doctors who are who are not practicing that way.

Keon Ahghar: 10:51

But going back to the malpractice. So malpractice, I believe, needs to exist. Right? And it exists in every state in the country. Right?

Keon Ahghar: 10:58

We have malpractice. Doctors have malpractice insurance, and that's what that exists for. Right? It's it exists in the situation where, god forbid, something happens and someone is harmed or whatever in that family, that person needs to be taken care of. Right?

Keon Ahghar: 11:13

Yeah. That's what that's there for. And I'm not against malpractice at all. It's I think in malpractice, it's about accountability. But what has happened here is not that.

Keon Ahghar: 11:22

Okay? The the you know, when you look at what's happened here, there's something called punitive damages. Punitive damages are essentially, you know, meant to punish punitive, you know, means punish. So it's meant to punish conduct that's outright wrong, right, that is that is really egregious. You know?

Keon Ahghar: 11:50

And you hear these stories, but what's interesting is that you hear stories here and there, and yet more than nine out of 10 lawsuits in New Mexico that are filed against doctors are have punitive damages attached. So the crazy part about that is that nine out of 10 lawsuit cases where patients are harmed or or put or allegedly harmed by by a doctor, that desire that doctor punitive damages, for all intents and purposes, means they kind of intended to hurt that person. You're telling me that nine out of 10 times the doctor gets sued, and we have the doctors are sued more here than anywhere else in the country. But you tell me nine out of 10 times in New Mexico, they're intentionally harming people. When you look at Texas, it's, like, less than less than 5% of punitive damage cases of punitive damages.

Keon Ahghar: 12:43

In Arizona, it's even less. That's crazy.

Abe Baldonado: 12:45

Well and and I'm guessing that's due to our our burden of proof is far lower

Keon Ahghar: 12:50

Absolutely. Yes.

Abe Baldonado: 12:50

To to Yes. For people to prove that, and which can I think nine out of 10 just shows that it's easy to show the burden of proof?

Keon Ahghar: 12:59

Well, so the so the sis so who made the system? Right?

Abe Baldonado: 13:02

Trial lawyers. Trial lawyers. I'll say it.

Keon Ahghar: 13:03

Right. Yeah. Trial lawyers made it. So so so the thing is that the New Mexico has the lowest bar to alleged punitive damages in the country. K?

Keon Ahghar: 13:11

So what so what does that mean? So, basically, what has happened is the judges here have set it up, and the lawyers know. They know how do it. That, well, we'll just let the jury decide.

Abe Baldonado: 13:20

Mhmm.

Keon Ahghar: 13:20

Right? So it's interesting. I've had colleagues who've been sued for things. I mean, some I'm not gonna get into the weeds of it because but they've been sued for things that are it's just frivolous. Right?

Keon Ahghar: 13:32

But then they're throwing all these other things on there. Well, it's a scare tactic. Right? And what people don't really realize is, yes, malpractice might have a cap, and and it's gone up and it's getting worse or not getting larger, but punitive damages have no cap. And when you and also your malpractice insurance doesn't cover punitive damages.

Abe Baldonado: 13:50

Right.

Keon Ahghar: 13:50

Because in other states, your malpractice insurance is there to protect is to, you know, make right the wrongs. Right? But punitive damages is not does not cover by that. Punitive damages in most states mean, man, that doctor must have been high. He showed up drunk and did the surgery.

Keon Ahghar: 14:07

He left. He was intentional. He, you know, he knew better and and didn't do the right thing. Those are what that's really for. And, yeah, this should be punished.

Keon Ahghar: 14:15

Right?

Abe Baldonado: 14:15

And at that point, they can go after your personal assets

Keon Ahghar: 14:18

to cover. And and and but but ultimately, happens is that scares doctors away. Right? You know, the result is this fear that doctors have of being sued all the time. Right?

Keon Ahghar: 14:30

And they just wanna take care of their people. They just wanna take care of patients. Right? And so, you know, you don't want families thinking like, hey. Will this you know, you don't want the doctor going into the room saying, is this person gonna sue me?

Keon Ahghar: 14:41

Right? Right. You want that doctor going into the room and saying, I will do whatever I can to care for your loved one. Right? I think it's really fascinating because for me, I'm all that matters is patient care.

Keon Ahghar: 14:51

All that matters is people. Right? And this argument that keeps being made is that, you know, that the trial lawyers aren't

Abe Baldonado: 14:58

aren't over profit.

Keon Ahghar: 14:59

Right. Yeah. So, oh my god. What are the whole patients over profit fiasco?

Abe Baldonado: 15:02

And that's the new tagline that they've used. Right? Patients over profit. But, Kian, not to interrupt here. No.

Abe Baldonado: 15:09

Yeah. I just there was something striking you said to me once, and you talked about what you mean to your community, and you had a very great way of putting it. And, you know, in rural New Mexico, like you said, if you had not been in your community, folks would probably have to travel to West Texas across state lines five hours instead of two hours, which is still a long time. But there there's an importance of the work that you do and what other doctors do

Keon Ahghar: 15:37

Right.

Abe Baldonado: 15:37

To their communities, and we're losing that in New Mexico.

Keon Ahghar: 15:41

Yeah. And we're losing

Abe Baldonado: 15:42

it in Albuquerque, which is an urban area, the largest population in all of New Mexico, and they're losing it here. I can't imagine what's happening to rural New Mexico because of our medical malpractice lawsuits. And I just want to note here, we have a graphic that we will share, but it shows that since the medical malpractice bill was initially passed, that the governor signed

Keon Ahghar: 16:05

Right.

Abe Baldonado: 16:05

Yeah. Before has actually shown that the influx of trial lawyers that have now come in and filed medical malpractice claims has skyrocketed, and we'll put that graph up for you all.

Keon Ahghar: 16:16

Well, because because the reality is everything's based off incentives. Right?

Abe Baldonado: 16:18

Mhmm.

Keon Ahghar: 16:19

You know, you create a system where the it benefits the trial attorneys, they're gonna come here. I mean, I don't blame them. You know? They're gonna but what I do think is is is it's the it's the system that got us here. Right?

Abe Baldonado: 16:30

Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 16:30

And, you know, it's it's the The intended consequences. The profiting at the expense of patients. Yeah. Because what's happening is, you know, I think it's the thing I think is important to to note is that I hear, you know, like, there was an article, you know, I'm just gonna say who it was. Brian Colon wrote a op ed, you know, basically saying, oh, it's not fair that the trial attorneys are being characterized in this cartoon about being greedy and basically laughing their way to the bank.

Abe Baldonado: 17:00

They're the

Keon Ahghar: 17:00

But but the the guess what? The families are not laughing their way to the bank after a funeral. Yeah. You know, that's not it. If you really cared

Abe Baldonado: 17:08

You can't put a price on someone's life. No. There's no price.

Keon Ahghar: 17:11

No. And and and the reality is is, like, if you really cared about putting patients first. Right? That whole, oh, profit patients over profit organization that turned out to be a total sham. You know, if you're really all about putting patients first, then why are you leading to the your patients losing access to care?

Keon Ahghar: 17:32

Yeah. Why are you pushing the doctors out? Does that get them better care? Are they better because they don't have a specialist? Are they better because it's nine months for my mom to get a colonoscopy?

Keon Ahghar: 17:42

Right? Is it better because I have a a friend of mine in in Silver City is on a his dad's on a twelve month cardiology wait list. Right? Is his life better because of that? No.

Keon Ahghar: 17:53

You know? And it's and that's the reality is is that, you know, fewer doctors fewer doctors means, one, sicker people. Yeah. Right? You know, the fact that it is nine months for my mom to go get a scheduled for a colonoscopy, well, a lot can happen in nine months.

Keon Ahghar: 18:08

Right? We're not catching things early and treating them. We're now catching things too late. Yeah. Right?

Keon Ahghar: 18:15

You know? And so so really what's happened is, you know, you know, what what I when I read Brian Colon's article or I've seen Peter Wirth, who's the you know, he's, you know, he's a senator. And Brian Colon used to be in politics, I guess. He's a trial lawyer too. When I when I see these guys talk about these things, it's like, oh, you know, we're we're fighting for victims.

Keon Ahghar: 18:40

No. You're feeding off of them. Yeah. And that's really what it is.

Abe Baldonado: 18:43

And and people don't realize they're taking 30 to 40% in attorney fees in New Mexico, and we had this conversation before. It just doesn't stop at attorney fees.

Keon Ahghar: 18:52

No. No. No. It does. And that's the crazy part is that so, you know, it's not when I've talked to patients who have, you know, have had malpractice settlements and whatever, you know, the the attorneys, they claim they take 30%, 40%.

Keon Ahghar: 19:08

But the reality is there's all the other fees, the fees for the expert witnesses, the fees to fly them in from Iowa or you know, because that

Abe Baldonado: 19:16

Lot of out of state attorneys.

Keon Ahghar: 19:17

There's a lot of out of state attorneys. You know? And and so, you know, in speaking to out of state attorneys, it's interesting. The irrefutable sign of what they're trying to do is everything that happened with the medical compacts. So a lot of people maybe don't understand that, but what happened was, you know, in you know, the big beautiful bill happened, and one of the things that happened was they they they cut some of Medicaid out.

Keon Ahghar: 19:40

Right? Now whether you like that or not is the fact is it happened. Right? And so so what happened is that they were like, well, the big fear was rural hospitals are gonna be shut down over this. So we need federal money.

Keon Ahghar: 19:54

We're gonna allocate federal money. I think it was $50,000,000,000 to help support rural hospitals, like the hospital that serves all the hospitals outside of Albuquerque Yeah. You know, are rural hospitals.

Abe Baldonado: 20:04

Technically rural hospitals. Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 20:06

And so that money was allocated for that. Now one of the criteria to get that money or to be eligible to receive more was to be part of a a part of a compact. Yeah. Okay.

Abe Baldonado: 20:17

And it it ultimately, reading the one big beautiful bill, it's a scoring system.

Keon Ahghar: 20:22

So Right.

Abe Baldonado: 20:23

Yes. You'll get scored a lot higher

Keon Ahghar: 20:24

If you're in

Abe Baldonado: 20:25

a compact. You're a part of the compact. And and a compact is and correct me if I'm wrong, but ultimately, you can receive telehealth from doctors in other states if they you don't have a specialist or someone locally. You can be seen at least remotely from the doctor.

Keon Ahghar: 20:39

Well, not only that. You can be seen remotely. Doctors can move here.

Abe Baldonado: 20:42

Mhmm.

Keon Ahghar: 20:43

Right? They don't have to apply for a license. They can literally just move in and, like, you know, they could move here next week. You know? Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 20:49

And so, you So

Abe Baldonado: 20:51

it's like reciprocity pretty much.

Keon Ahghar: 20:52

Yeah. Exactly. You just can come here and and practice or they can practice, you know, from from where they are and treat patients. There's a lot of stuff. You know, if you if you're a rheumatologist or you're a certain type of cancer doctor, a lot of that stuff can be done you know, some of the best in the world could be now practicing in New Mexico.

Keon Ahghar: 21:06

We could bring world the best doctors in New in The United States to New Mexico. The governor, who I usually don't agree with, literally begged for this to go through in her special session. The whole point of the special session was to address the effects of the big beautiful bill. This is probably one of the biggest things. Right?

Keon Ahghar: 21:25

And even in her statements, she said there's too many trial attorneys in the senate, And they're probably not gonna let this through. And guess what? They did not.

Abe Baldonado: 21:33

Right. She's also a lame duck governor and we I think we've seen and we talked about this early on is her decline in power. So clearly, even as governor, she is the sole leader of the state. Right. She's the governor, but she doesn't even have influence or even enough clout to push her own party To do the right thing.

Abe Baldonado: 21:52

Yeah. To do the right thing. And, know, again and I got to ask, but even joining the compacts, and this is just something that I see from the outside. And again, I'm no medical expert, and that's why we have someone like you here who is actually impacted, and you can correct me if I'm wrong. But I also see even if we were to join the compacts, I still look at New Mexico's medical malpractice laws because of our punitive damages, the occurrence definition Right.

Abe Baldonado: 22:18

Which I don't think would they would even still wanna practice here because there's just so much risk. Right. It's a potential fix, but it's just one variable. Right. There's so many other variables that need to be fixed alongside with it for doctors to feel comfortable to be here.

Keon Ahghar: 22:33

Well, yes. But I would also say that that look. There's a lot of New Mexico, I mean, New Mexico has a lot of problems. Right? Mhmm.

Keon Ahghar: 22:40

We have a crime we're, you know, first in crime, last in education, and now we're last in health care. Right? We're also happen to be first in in doctors getting sued.

Abe Baldonado: 22:51

But And we're also the only state that has saw a decline of doctors.

Keon Ahghar: 22:55

And that is really important. So the so a lot of the arguments I keep seeing from, you know, these from these trial attorneys is like, well, every state is is low on doctors. Yes. Every state is well, most states are low on doctors. I can't say I don't know if that's true or not every state, but I I assume most places are low on doctors.

Keon Ahghar: 23:11

But we're the only state that is losing doctors. We are hemorrhaging doctors. Right? And so the the reality is that that at this point, we gotta stop the bleed. Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 23:21

I mean, we are literally bleeding doctors. And, you know, we need we need doctors. We don't need delays. Right? Patients don't need delays in their health care.

Keon Ahghar: 23:30

They need to be seen. Right? But going back to to the compact okay. So, yeah, I agree that, like, it it was more as a as a next step to try to and the thing is it should have been a known it should have been a not nonissue. Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 23:46

It's not a partisan issue. This is not they don't even have to write a bill. This is not like a bill. You literally just sign on the dotted line. Hey.

Keon Ahghar: 23:51

Yes. We're joining this compact. And guess who's also in the compact? 43 other states. K?

Abe Baldonado: 23:55

Yep. But the trial lawyers wanna redefine the compact. Right? They wanna pass legislation and Right. They and it's like there's already standard language Right.

Keon Ahghar: 24:04

To make this mess

Abe Baldonado: 24:05

with it.

Keon Ahghar: 24:06

And that's and that's the interesting thing is that I saw them talk about that. They're like, oh, we need to really read through this. They have been trying to push a compact, I from my understanding, for at least a decade Yeah. If not more. Right?

Keon Ahghar: 24:16

It's not like this is some new topic. Right? This is like, hey. And to me, it's like common sense. How can you tell me you look me in the eyes and say, I I care about patients and at the same time say, I don't want them to have access to the best physician who's only in New York City?

Keon Ahghar: 24:31

Right? I don't want them to have this a doctor from MD Anderson be able consult on their case. Yeah. But I care about their safety. I care about these people.

Keon Ahghar: 24:38

Right? That's just that's just it's baloney. Right? You know, it but the reality is, the interesting thing is that unlike crime and education, my my practice is fixable in one day. Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 24:48

Now will it recover that fast? No. That's not gonna recover. I mean, the thing is you you you bled all these you you you lost a third of the doctors. Right?

Keon Ahghar: 24:57

They're not gonna all rush back. Yeah. Right? It's gonna take time. But if we don't start that now and we continue to believe what if we never lose another thirty percent?

Keon Ahghar: 25:05

What if we lose 40%, fifty percent? I can tell you every doctor in New Mexico is thinking about it. Yeah. I have not run into a single doctor. I'm from here.

Keon Ahghar: 25:13

You know, I have friends who are also born and raised here. Our families are here, and that's why we're here. But most of the doctors I know who are not from here, they've already left. Right? Or they're planning on it.

Keon Ahghar: 25:23

And I I I really think that the exodus that we've seen of doctors is only the beginning. Right? And if you go we are already last. Yeah. So now we're like I think you you mentioned it.

Keon Ahghar: 25:36

You know, we've already hit rock bottom. Don't think we've hit rock bottom. Rock we we haven't seen how bad it can actually get because it it's just gonna keep getting worse and worse and worse. We're only a couple years out of them. It was almost crazy to me.

Keon Ahghar: 25:50

It's like, even if you tried to do this, tried to run all the doctors off, I don't think you could come up with a plan that would do it as effectively as as the has been done. You know?

Abe Baldonado: 25:59

But What does that mean? Like, when we think about 40% of our states on Medicaid

Keon Ahghar: 26:03

Right.

Abe Baldonado: 26:05

We also have some of the worst poverty rates in our So I think about access to care. It's not even like if we bled doctors, we have communities that could advocate for themselves and fly to Houston to MD Anderson or to Phoenix to the Mayo Clinic. I mean, it's just not feasible for a lot of our families.

Keon Ahghar: 26:24

You know, living in New Mexico should not be a death sentence.

Abe Baldonado: 26:27

Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 26:27

It should not. You know? And that's I know that seems like just such a this kind of, like

Abe Baldonado: 26:34

dark thing say.

Keon Ahghar: 26:35

Oh, what a dark thing to say. It absolutely is true at this point. But the reality is is, like, people deserve better. They do deserve better. Our my parents, your parents, my family, you know, my loved ones, my friends, their parents, they my community, my patients, they deserve better.

Keon Ahghar: 26:52

Right? There are good doctors here. I know lots of good doctors. Doctors that I would send my my my my family to, my loved ones, my children.

Abe Baldonado: 26:59

And my dentist is I've had my dentist since I was a kid, I still never leave. Yeah. People give me a hard time because I drive all the way from Albuquerque to Las Vegas, New Mexico, but

Keon Ahghar: 27:09

it's Do you a

Abe Baldonado: 27:10

great dentist.

Keon Ahghar: 27:10

Yeah. You when you find a good doctor and you make a relationship with them, think I it's actually interesting in that study that they they they released in the Journal Day, they said seventy five percent of people, I think, aged 18 to 35 can't get into health care. Wow. Seventy five percent. So the people who are answering, care.

Keon Ahghar: 27:42

Right? So then what's gonna happen in ten years where they still aren't getting care? Now you're gonna see, you know, their die their their maybe their their mild blood pressure is could be caught now, could have been treated. Now it's not. Right?

Keon Ahghar: 27:54

I mean, those are the things. And so, again, there are doctors here you wanna stay. I'm one of them. You know? I have lots of friends who are from here or they they're they live here and they love it here.

Keon Ahghar: 28:04

You know, it's it's one of those things that's funny to me when the when the trial attorneys are sitting there being like, oh, the doctors are all bad. Most of these people literally got into it to help people. Yeah. Right? Most of the doctors I know just are passionate about taking care of people and helping people.

Keon Ahghar: 28:17

And but they're overwhelmed. They're overworked. You know? And unless the system changes, they're going to leave, and they won't be replaced. Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 28:27

And these are good doctors. I'm not talking bad doctors who should leave. I'm talking about the good ones. You know? Roswell's lost at least three doctors that in this this summer that were just that were great doctors who had been in the community for years, one of them for thirty years.

Keon Ahghar: 28:42

And he is one of the best ER doctors I have ever encountered. I know I practice now. You know, I practice in Roswell. I used to take call at the hospital. He if I knew that he was there, like, I would literally if I was gonna take a loved one, but, hey.

Keon Ahghar: 28:56

It's it's I'm not gonna say his name, but he's a great doctor. And I was like, if he's there, you're in good hands. You're you have nothing to worry about. But now we've been taking my wife.

Abe Baldonado: 29:04

Service to the community because now they don't

Keon Ahghar: 29:06

But he's, you know, and he got to a point where he was having a hard time getting insurance. Yeah. And it literally got to the point where he just kept the hospital couldn't was having a hard time just getting him malpractice insurance.

Abe Baldonado: 29:16

And that's one component. Right? That the insurance premiums have skyrocketed for our doctors in our state.

Keon Ahghar: 29:21

Right.

Abe Baldonado: 29:21

But that's not just the only problem. No. That's one problem. Sure. It's because of all these other factors in our state law that our say insurers are saying, no.

Abe Baldonado: 29:30

We don't wanna Right. Touch you.

Keon Ahghar: 29:31

You know, it's so so, you know, not to harp on Brian Cullen. I don't even know the guy. But but reading this article, it was just you know, it's almost it's so infuriating because you're sitting there reading it, and you say, oh, the problem isn't the trial trains. The problem is the private equity hospitals, and the problem is the malpractice insurance that's charging

Abe Baldonado: 29:49

too much. Right there. It shows their hand. They want to sue big they want to bankrupt hospitals. They want to go after the big bucks.

Abe Baldonado: 29:55

And, you know, just to share a little story with you, I was informed on a a situation where there was a doctor in New Mexico who had a a patient who had a significant tumor. Like, it was very big and very uncomfortable. No one would touch it. Like, no doctor would touch it, but she was at risk of losing her life. And so one of the doctors took it on, took the risk, took it on, successfully removed the mass.

Abe Baldonado: 30:29

Unfortunately, tool was left during that procedure. They caught it instantly. So they got her back in. They removed it. Next thing you know, the hospital is being sued.

Abe Baldonado: 30:43

Nearly bankrupts a hospital in New Mexico.

Keon Ahghar: 30:45

Yes. Yeah.

Abe Baldonado: 30:46

And it was a rural community. And had that hospital went under, could you imagine and again, did an unfortunate thing happen? Yes. But was it at the magnitude the patient lived?

Keon Ahghar: 31:00

Right.

Abe Baldonado: 31:01

But they nearly bankrupt a hospital.

Keon Ahghar: 31:04

Right. And and that's a significant amount

Abe Baldonado: 31:06

of money. And I'm curious to know how much money the patient even got because as we talk about attorney fees and everything, I mean, who knows if, you know, what she got was even what she felt like she needed to behold. You

Keon Ahghar: 31:17

know, I think, you know, in those cases, it's like one of those things that I think, you know, it's hard to that but you want to have those doctors who are who are not they're stressed about taking care of you. They're not stressed about being sued. Mhmm. Right? That's what you want.

Keon Ahghar: 31:34

You want doctors. And and the other thing is, like, you know so so I sat there and I I I researched this. There are more neurosurgeons in Lubbock, Texas, which is population, you know, 250,000. Don't quote me at that. It's somewhere in that range than in the state of New Mexico.

Keon Ahghar: 31:51

Wow. More neurosurgeons for a population of two hundred and fifth a quarter of a million people than for a population of 2,000,000. So you do get that brain tumor. You do get something happen. You have a stroke.

Keon Ahghar: 32:04

Okay? You don't you're you're I mean, these guys are overwhelmed. They're booked out six months, nine months. I'm not saying they're not gonna do a good job. But do you want the doctor that's just rushing and just try I mean, I I have like, for example, one of my friends.

Keon Ahghar: 32:19

You know and and and I'm not saying that other professions don't see that. Every profession who gets overwhelmed sees that. But you're getting these doctors who are like, man, they're just trying to get through this wait list. Imagine you're sitting there, and they're like, hey. We got a lady who's trying to who's you you're booked out six months, but this person's dying.

Keon Ahghar: 32:34

Right? They're just trying to get these people in, you know, and they're just being overworked. But at the same time, you look at it, they don't have a whole network of people. The safety net is not that big. It's dwindling.

Keon Ahghar: 32:44

It it's going away. We don't even know if we really have a safety net at this point. Now it's just kinda like, you know, hopefully someone grabs you before you hit the ground and die. Right? You know?

Keon Ahghar: 32:53

And so so, you know, again, I I I think that a lot of this is fixable. You know, it's it's it's crime in New Mexico is if you want to really tackle it, it's it would take a lot. Right? It's it's you gotta you gotta deal with social economic issues. You gotta deal

Abe Baldonado: 33:08

with Rehabilitation.

Keon Ahghar: 33:10

Rehabilitation. You know, you gotta really

Abe Baldonado: 33:11

get Treatment.

Keon Ahghar: 33:12

Treatment. And you gotta get people working. You gotta get people jobs, and you all those things are hard. Education, that's that's a bear to take on, you know, but I think we should. Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 33:21

Right? But malpractice is literally I mean, they could pass bills tomorrow. Yeah. They know what the problem is. I mean, did did they say you were saying

Abe Baldonado: 33:29

that we signed it when when they

Keon Ahghar: 33:30

Just say that we got here on accident. And it was not on purpose. I mean, it just the the again, when you have a system that, you know, that is

Abe Baldonado: 33:43

I gotta

Keon Ahghar: 33:43

The the the punitive damages portion, for example, and the way that you can you know, I'm not getting all the definitions, all the stacking and stuff. You know, ultimately, the only people that that are getting rich are the doc or the or the trial attorneys. You know, this is their golden goose. This is their their cash cow.

Abe Baldonado: 33:59

It's not about patient. Local trial. No. I mean, some are, but a lot of them sold out to out of state law firms Yeah. That are now just kind of fly in and Yeah.

Abe Baldonado: 34:12

Make a ton of money

Keon Ahghar: 34:12

and fly out. It's not really about this is, at this point, not about protecting doctors. Right? This is about protecting patients. It's about protecting families, and it's protecting the the the freedom to live in the state without dying.

Keon Ahghar: 34:26

Yeah.

Abe Baldonado: 34:27

And there's research about there's groups that like Think New Mexico has done great work. Patients Premedo now is being led by a former doctor who No. No.

Keon Ahghar: 34:38

I don't think no. She's no. She's a she worked in in law. Oh, she worked in law. Patient Primero is an interesting group, like, stuff like that.

Keon Ahghar: 34:43

I mean, they are So she's a she's a lawyer. She has experience in law. She's and I don't actually I don't really know her full background. She's not a not a not a medical background. She I don't even know this person very well, but I see their posts and stuff, and and I've talked to them a little bit.

Keon Ahghar: 34:57

And these are people who literally just are so passionate about this Yeah. That they are paying out of their pocket for all these things because they want change, and they believe that the state could be better. You know, I don't wanna get into her information too much, but this is someone who literally has now dedicated her life to this cause. And I'll I'll she can talk to her own reasons, but she shared with me why. And because she had parents aging parents here who couldn't get care, and she had to take him out of state.

Keon Ahghar: 35:23

And it was such a hardship for her parents. You got aging sick elderly patient parents

Abe Baldonado: 35:29

To just move them to another state or to care.

Keon Ahghar: 35:33

Right? Them care. Yeah. And and that, I think, just resonates so much with her that she is she's like, I live here. I'm a patient here.

Keon Ahghar: 35:40

I'm not this doesn't this this this is not this fight is not doctors versus lawyers. This is actually hey. You're

Abe Baldonado: 35:46

using me patients.

Keon Ahghar: 35:47

Yeah. This is people. It's not about, oh, we need to support the doctors. That's not really what it is. The doctors are not like they don't need your support.

Keon Ahghar: 35:56

The people who are harmed, the doctors can leave. The people can. Yeah. Right? And, you push out too many doctors.

Keon Ahghar: 36:03

I mean, well, the other thing that's gonna it's happening now, my malpractice carrier has told me for the last three years that our state is on the chopping block. Wow. Right? They haven't dropped us yet, but they said they've told me, and my premiums keep going up. But the premiums are are cost of doing business.

Keon Ahghar: 36:18

That doesn't bother me. I'm not saying, oh, woe is me. I have to pay an extra couple thousand or, you know, whatever year.

Abe Baldonado: 36:23

Expect that in Right. So it's the

Keon Ahghar: 36:24

career that you

Abe Baldonado: 36:25

chose That would never

Keon Ahghar: 36:26

that would never chase me away. Yeah. Right? I love this place. I love my patients.

Keon Ahghar: 36:29

I really do. I've you know, I you I've been practicing long enough that I've seen, you know, the patients that were some of my first patients that are they're still with me, and I know them. I hugged them. I I grieved with them when they've lost loved ones. I've held their hands when they were going through cancer treatments.

Keon Ahghar: 36:45

These are people that I care about. That's who's that's who matters here. Right? That's who this is about. It's not about, oh, doctors versus lawyers.

Keon Ahghar: 36:54

Right? It's not that at all. It's it's literally about, one, I think, justice. I think when I see a wrong and I see people profiting on the pain, the suffering, death of people into my state, I know that's wrong. Right?

Keon Ahghar: 37:09

I know that's wrong, and I I don't wanna stand for it. I'm not even a physician. I'm not even in these medical compacts. I'm not in this medical malpractice bill. I'm not I mean, yeah, I'm affected because I can be sued as a dentist, but, like, a lot of this fight is mostly around medical stuff.

Keon Ahghar: 37:25

Yeah. Right? Procedure. Right. It's about it's about the medical law, the the and the laws that we've written here in New Mexico.

Keon Ahghar: 37:31

It's it's one of those things that, like, again, it's it's it's it's all about putting patients first. And, again, if if, you know, I don't know. I sit there, and and I look at it, and I'm like, you know, if if the trial attorneys really cared about patients, which they keep saying they do, right, then they join the doctors in fixing the problem.

Abe Baldonado: 37:51

Yeah. Which they didn't even come to see. I was at the legislative task force

Keon Ahghar: 37:55

Yeah.

Abe Baldonado: 37:55

Hearing that was held last week on Monday before the special session where they had folks from the hospital association, former patients

Keon Ahghar: 38:04

Right.

Abe Baldonado: 38:04

Talking about these issues. Think New Mexico and the research that they've done saying, this is an issue that needs to be addressed Right. Quickly, and it needs to happen this week.

Keon Ahghar: 38:14

And Right.

Abe Baldonado: 38:14

Of course, you know, it fell on deaf ears with the leadership in the roundhouse. But, you know, there's a group of people out there listening. But even then, there was a comment made where we invited trial attorneys to come here today, asked them to present

Keon Ahghar: 38:29

Right.

Abe Baldonado: 38:30

And no one showed.

Keon Ahghar: 38:31

Right. You know, again, it's it's it's about the patients who can't get care in our system. Right? And the system is broken. Mhmm.

Keon Ahghar: 38:40

And the trial attorneys are fighting to keep it that way. When I see when I see these op eds, when I see Peter Worth blocking you know, it's one of those things they hear every year. We have brought these things forward, and they get blocked every year. Right? Every year, we're fighting them for the for our patients.

Keon Ahghar: 38:56

But the reality is and the truth is that, like, they're protecting their revenue. They're protecting a revenue model that bleeds health care, bleeds doctors, drives away good doctors, and it makes it harder for patients to get care.

Abe Baldonado: 39:07

Yeah. And it's problematic because he is the majority leader of the state senate who is a trial attorney.

Keon Ahghar: 39:12

Right. It's one of those things that one of the things that I I when I I know people who called, his constituents called him. And and it was interesting. Several callback came back to me. They're like, well, he said this is just the this is just the Republicans making up an issue.

Keon Ahghar: 39:27

Well, first of all, the Opry Journal is not is not partisan. Yeah. New think New Mexico is not partisan. Patients premero is not partisan. Health care is not a partisan issue.

Keon Ahghar: 39:37

Access to doctors when you are sick is not partisan. It's not red. It's not blue.

Abe Baldonado: 39:41

Because every single one of us is gonna need it regardless if you're Democrat, Republican. It does. It's not a Black, blue, purple. Like, it doesn't matter. Right.

Abe Baldonado: 39:48

You are gonna need access to high quality health care.

Keon Ahghar: 39:50

Yeah. And so yeah. You're yeah. Exactly. And so, you know, you know, I see this this they just they just throw all these ideas out there.

Keon Ahghar: 40:01

They throw all these things. Oh, it's this. It's that. Okay. So so this argument that he was making, oh, it's the it's the Republicans are just trying to make this it's not a really a big issue.

Keon Ahghar: 40:10

You know? Arizona also doesn't have you know, has similar caps. Sure. But why aren't doctors fleeing the state, and they're not getting sued at the rate that we're doing sued? Right?

Keon Ahghar: 40:19

Not even close. Right? Because the system is there and it you know, it's it's a it's a functioning system. Right? So if our system was so good, why are why is it you know, if if if we're just like everybody else, then why are we last in every, you know, why are we last in every health care category?

Keon Ahghar: 40:36

Yeah. Why are we the first in doctor we're the only state where doctors leaving. This idea that, you know, like I said, Peter Worth, Joe Cervantes

Abe Baldonado: 40:44

Liz Thompson.

Keon Ahghar: 40:45

Liz all these they go out there and say, oh, well, it's the oh, it's the corrupt private equity hospitals. I I get it. Like, I'm I I have a private practice that is family owned and run. Like, literally, my wife helps out of the practice. My partner's husband helps out of the practice.

Keon Ahghar: 41:01

It is a family practice that's there for our people. There is a problem in our health care system with private equity. Right? Private equity means, like, big giant organizations that are buying up hospitals. But why are they able to buy up so many hospitals in Mexico?

Keon Ahghar: 41:15

Cause all the doctors are fleeing. Yeah. Right? They're all leaving or they don't want the liability. All these giant organizations, they can accept that liability.

Keon Ahghar: 41:22

Right? They only need to make a small profit margin. And they are like, they to them, it's just a numbers game. And if they lose a bunch of money, it's a write off. Like, to the you know?

Keon Ahghar: 41:29

And so so I'm not saying that they're they're, like, they're the other private, you know, the the private equity hospitals and stuff are not a problem, but every state in the country has them. Yeah. Right? And then the other argument they make, oh, it's really this it's really the problem. They're not trial attorneys.

Keon Ahghar: 41:45

It's not the med mal. It's the med mal insurance. So in the last session, I saw so many people say that. Well, every state in the country, every doctor in the country has med mal insurance. Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 41:55

If the problem if the if they're oh, they're pointing fingers. The problem is really the bad hospitals that are owned by private equity, and the problem is really the the health insurance or the the medical malpractice insurance. Well, everybody has that. Yeah. So if everybody has it, then that's clearly not the problem.

Keon Ahghar: 42:09

What makes us different? And what makes us different is the system that they created, that they profit from, right, that is just not balanced. Right? I'm not asking I'm not hoping for some, like, for the pendulum to swing all the other way and no more malpractice. No, man.

Keon Ahghar: 42:26

I think we need I think that's good. I mean, I think there's a there's a nice check and balance. But this system is clearly broken, and they are doing everything they can to to desperately hold on to this this system that is just making them profits. Like you said, child attorneys are flooding into the state. They're flying into the state on their private jets, you know, and and they're they're desperately holding on to this profit system in this industry that that feeds off of, you know, our businesses, the vulnerable people.

Abe Baldonado: 42:55

Vulnerable communities. Absolutely.

Keon Ahghar: 42:57

And and and, you know, if we if we care about patients and we care about access, we care about safety, we care about reform and not the system that rewards lawsuits over life saving care, then we need to do something different. Because, you know, like I said I mean, like, in in Brian Colon's, article that you sent me, you know, you talked about laughing all the way to the bank. I was like, again, you know, that's not happening. These people are it's they're burying their loved ones. Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 43:31

You know, these people are are not getting care. And, again, it's not about the doctors. It's about people. You know? And and people that you know, I like I said, I'm I'm a native New Mexican.

Keon Ahghar: 43:43

I love this place. I love you know, I I think we have plenty of problems. I mean, I think New Mexico is full of problems.

Abe Baldonado: 43:49

And every state has problems. Every state has problems.

Keon Ahghar: 43:51

But, man, this is just this is one of those things that's just so it's so undeniable, and the facts are are just there. And every person who's trying to fight it, follow the money. Yeah. They're either trial attorneys. They're funded by the trial attorneys.

Keon Ahghar: 44:08

It's you know, they're they they have they they they have created the system. They know the game. You know, all this stuff happened. It's interesting. All these a lot of the big changes happened in in, you know, beginning of, you know, February 2021.

Keon Ahghar: 44:22

Well, what were all the doctors doing in February 2021? It was COVID. Yeah. They're all literally, me in my office, I had a full on gas mask, face shield. We wore, like, you know, jackets that we had to we had to throw away every day, disposable jackets because of all the COVID stuff.

Keon Ahghar: 44:37

I didn't I wasn't I wasn't engaged with the legislature. I was literally just trying to

Abe Baldonado: 44:43

Make it

Keon Ahghar: 44:44

and just provide care to get my patients in, provide care, and do it safely and, like, not die from COVID, you know, because we didn't know a lot. And I and I think we know a lot more now. But at the time, I mean, it was not like that. So kinda in the, you know, it's almost like in the middle of the night, they noticed that, hey. We can get this through, and no one's gonna notice.

Keon Ahghar: 45:01

No one's gonna

Abe Baldonado: 45:02

get through.

Keon Ahghar: 45:02

And our governor passed it. You know? And that's the reality is now you see her say, we have a big problem, and I don't want I I imagine she doesn't want her legacy to be the governor who destroyed health care for the benefit of the trial attorneys in New Mexico, but that is gonna be her legacy, you know, because the special session, we're not passing anything. You know? Again, this coming up on a budget session.

Abe Baldonado: 45:24

So Right. She's gonna have to give it a message for it to be germane in the session. And Right. You know, whether or not the senate and some of the folks in the house are able to get it through, I mean, it's her last session. And so and now we're also seeing in the Albuquerque Journal a few weeks ago, there was an op ed that said medical malpractice is gonna be a litmus test for some of the Democratic candidates and

Keon Ahghar: 45:52

Yeah.

Abe Baldonado: 45:52

Which Sam Deb Haaland have all jumped in saying they support medical compacts, but they've not said anything about punitive damages or, amending the definition of incur occurrence because first off, Sam Bergman is a trial attorney. He's not a district attorney. He's only done that for a couple of years now. But before that, he was a trial attorney.

Keon Ahghar: 46:13

And who's running his campaign? The guy for Safety over profits. Who is Safety literally like, one, clearly, they were A lawyer. They're running around law they're they're they were they were pushing all these narratives. That's who's running his campaign.

Keon Ahghar: 46:26

Mean, it's one of those things that was that old saying that, like, you know, tell me who you are by showing me who you hang out with. Yeah. Well, there you go. If if you don't know anything else about him I don't know anything about Sam Bregman. But what I've seen his his positions on on this malpractice stuff shows me exactly who he represents.

Keon Ahghar: 46:42

He doesn't represent New Mexicans. He doesn't represent patients. He represents the trial attorneys, which is he is one of them. Deb Holland, I mean, she hasn't said anything. Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 46:50

That's the craziest part of it. She hasn't said anything. Okay. You come out and you say, oh, yeah. Like, I am supported Compax.

Keon Ahghar: 46:57

Yeah. But you haven't said anything regarding the all the the people who are dying in our community. Again, it's like, you know, you you sit there and you're like, man, lot of these patients don't ever get a lawyer. Right. They get a funeral.

Keon Ahghar: 47:10

Their family gets a lawyer. Well, I would much have rather have my my loved ones than some settlement.

Abe Baldonado: 47:16

Right? Yeah. There's no monetary figure that replaces a loved one No. At the end of the day. And there's no certain amount of money that replace you cannot replace a loved one.

Keon Ahghar: 47:27

But you also see why are so many more lawyers coming here? Because as the system degrades, more errors happen. Yeah. The patients get sicker.

Abe Baldonado: 47:35

Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 47:35

And and eventually, I mean Yeah.

Abe Baldonado: 47:37

They start going after negligence. Oh, right. You didn't see this patient

Keon Ahghar: 47:40

Right.

Abe Baldonado: 47:40

Who was on a ten month waiting list. Right. And now it's your fault and you're

Keon Ahghar: 47:43

Yes. Thanks. Exactly.

Abe Baldonado: 47:45

Is it my fault?

Keon Ahghar: 47:46

Yeah. I know. But that's the thing is, like, again, it's is is it the doctor's faults for leaving? I don't think so. I think you know?

Keon Ahghar: 47:54

But but people can't leave. They have their homes here. You you get you know, you you're born and raised here and your whole family, you're not gonna leave. But guess who can leave? The trial attorneys leave and they come and go.

Keon Ahghar: 48:05

And and guess who who gets their health care in Washington DC? Our governor. Yeah. Right? I'm sure a lot of the people in you know, a lot of the trial attorneys also have enough money.

Keon Ahghar: 48:13

Do they go out of state for all their health care? But guess who can't? It's the 40% of people on Medicaid on Medicare the 20% on Medicare. It's the people who, you know, have HMOs who can't leave the state. You know?

Keon Ahghar: 48:26

I think that and without getting too political, again, I think it's it's not a it's not red or blue. No. This is the health care

Abe Baldonado: 48:35

is It's common sense.

Keon Ahghar: 48:36

It's common sense. Right? It is a and it is a it's one of those things. Again, say you're a doctor, you're like, you come in New Mexico, and New Mexico is worse than education. Okay.

Keon Ahghar: 48:44

Maybe you homeschool your kid. K? You know, say you're a doctor and you wanna come to New Mexico, and you're like, well, but, you know, there's a lot of crime. Okay. Live in a gated community.

Keon Ahghar: 48:53

Fine. But you're a doctor in New Mexico. Guess what you can't accept that you you the what's what what you will not come here for is to lose everything and be under a microscope every day and possibly lose everything in your life and get wrapped up into a ten year trial over something that you didn't really do anything wrong. But it really is you what's interesting is a lot of these so a lot of these punitive damages things that I've seen with colleagues of mine that have gone through it, you know, is they just add all these things on because now it's gonna cost you so much more. Say you okay.

Keon Ahghar: 49:23

So say you there was a something happened and and pay there's a bad outcome. Well, if you just you know, they they say they're alleged that there was malpractice. Okay. There's one kind of malpractice. Right?

Keon Ahghar: 49:34

Okay. You'd hire an attorney. Hey. They can kinda go back and forth, and you can kinda figure it out. Right?

Keon Ahghar: 49:38

But if they throw on nine alleged putative damages, well, suddenly, you have suddenly, that lawsuit costs nine times as much to defend. Yeah. So what's happening? The insurance companies are coming in and settling. But the the I I I think this is crazy.

Keon Ahghar: 49:55

Not only, you know, the whole again, that's why they the nine out of ten cases have immunodemned damage to that. But in New Mexico, we're the only states where malpractice insurance carriers lose money. Yeah. How long before they leave? How long before just like you if you have a house and you you know, you're by a forest and the forest caught on fire three times and burned the house down, eventually, the insurance company, you know, they're they can't afford to keep rebuilding a house.

Keon Ahghar: 50:19

They're just gonna cut your coverage. Hey. We're not gonna cover you.

Abe Baldonado: 50:22

I'll tell you. As a someone whose family was impacted by the state's largest wildfire ever in history, just even seeing the trial attorneys that have come in and are reaping the benefits from all the folks that are not being made whole from their losses in the Hermits Peak Calf Canyon fire.

Keon Ahghar: 50:40

Right.

Abe Baldonado: 50:41

I mean, attorneys are running all the way to the bank. And these are out of state attorneys from California

Keon Ahghar: 50:45

Right.

Abe Baldonado: 50:46

That are coming in. But I've seen it myself directly

Keon Ahghar: 50:49

Right.

Abe Baldonado: 50:49

Where, you know, hey, we they're agreeing to give you this much, but after all the fees and everything, I mean, the most of the people who have been harmed are not getting as much as they thought they were gonna get and be made whole. And nothing gets your land back. You know? All those trees are gonna take generations to grow back, you know, and replanting. But even seeing it there where they've all flown in now to capitalize on the folks who have lost their land and livelihoods that were ranchers, farmers.

Keon Ahghar: 51:20

That's so sad.

Abe Baldonado: 51:20

It's unfortunate, man. But I appreciate folks like you who are bringing a voice to this, and and I'm delighted that we were able to get on the podcast today to to talk about this because it's important to hear from people who are impacted, but also to hear that, hey, this isn't about me. And I think that is a very selfless thing of you to do to say, this isn't about me. It's about my patients. It's about them having care.

Abe Baldonado: 51:44

And people need to hear more of that because I think every other doctor would tell you the same. This isn't really about me. I'm okay, but my patients aren't. When I have to put them on a wait list Right. For months, like, I cannot see them because I'm the only professional or specialist who does this.

Abe Baldonado: 52:02

And that to me right there is you brought a great perspective. It's humanizing what is actually happening and who it's actually hurting. It's not doctors versus lawyers. No. It's patients who are being stuck in the middle that are paying the

Keon Ahghar: 52:16

price. Right.

Abe Baldonado: 52:17

And, you know, I have to be a little facetious, but I would love to see a bill that put lowered the caps on attorney fees in New Mexico and also higher the caps on malpractice for attorneys because guess what? You can sue your attorney for malpractice too.

Keon Ahghar: 52:32

But this

Abe Baldonado: 52:32

I wonder what would happen if someone proposed a bill like that. There would be an outcry. What do you mean you wanna

Keon Ahghar: 52:37

Right. Right. All those It's interesting. You know, like, doctors carry malpractice, real estate agents carry malpractice. Yeah.

Abe Baldonado: 52:44

You have your e and o insurance. Insurances.

Keon Ahghar: 52:46

Insurance insurance agents carry carry insurance. Right?

Abe Baldonado: 52:49

Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 52:50

Guess who doesn't? Lawyers. Lawyers. You know? And and it's interesting about the whole you know, you're talking about the they fly in.

Keon Ahghar: 52:57

You know? So so the loophole there is that if you are an out of state attorney and you find a local attorney that can that will you know, basically, you can hire.

Abe Baldonado: 53:07

Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 53:07

Right? So they hire new grads or whatnot, and then they fly their big, huge, you know, multimillion dollar law firm from Los Angeles. You know, the guy who had that $400,000,000 it was a record the highest lawsuit you know, the highest payout ever in the history of the country, you know, was from Iowa. And, you know, it's you know, no no no surprise that the next year, he gave over $400,000,000 to, you know, to safety over profits, which turned out to be just kind of a a sham, basically, just to put out lies and but it doesn't matter. But, you know, we the lawyers can do it.

Keon Ahghar: 53:42

Right? The lawyers can come in here from out of state and practice here. They have there's loopholes around that. Guess who can't? Doctors.

Keon Ahghar: 53:49

Doctors. Yep. And the and and it's the the greatest irony is sitting there watching that happen. I remember a friend of mine told me that. So a friend of mine has to drive from a friend of mine heard his dad has to go to Silver City from Silver City to Los El Paso.

Keon Ahghar: 54:06

He has to go across the state border to consult with a doctor that specializes in what he's dealing with. Wow. K. Because we don't have one here. Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 54:17

He's a good guy, and he's a a person I've known a long time, and he's from New Mexico. He's he's a dentist, and his dad is is down in in in Silver City. Man, so while being on this wait list, specifically his dad for his heart problems, his heart he's got a he's got a nurse practitioner down there trying to help him, and she's like, I don't know what I'm doing. So, like, this is beyond me. We're trying to get you into the cardiologist, all these things.

Keon Ahghar: 54:47

Well, during this process, he's lost his vision. K? Oh, wow. And he said the saddest thing, I mean, as a as a dad, I can he was like, I'll never see my grandchildren. And he's they're they're hoping they're planning on starting a family and all this stuff.

Keon Ahghar: 55:02

And he's just like they waited so long to treat his high blood pressure and get him the care he needed that he doesn't he can't see anymore. And and I and I my friend told me that, and I just, like and I'm getting teary eyed just thinking about it. But It's the relation my dad has with my children, that's heartbreaking. You know? And so and that was, again, you know, the person that was there from what he told me, you know, left the state.

Keon Ahghar: 55:33

There he was, like, the only person down there that was doing that just, you know, up and, you know, just left and was like, I I'm not doing this anymore. I'm gonna go to greener pastures where it's safer for me to practice. You know, it's one of those things that it's not like the yeah. It's just one of those things. It's like if you if you do any job and it's like, well, I not only can I make more money in another state, but, you know, education is better?

Keon Ahghar: 55:57

There's less crime, and I don't risk losing my entire livelihood. Like, you would leave too. I mean, I've had people tell me, like, why are you here?

Abe Baldonado: 56:04

Or you'd even at least consider it.

Keon Ahghar: 56:06

Right. Yeah. You start thinking about it. I mean, you just do. The reason I'm here is because my family's here.

Keon Ahghar: 56:10

You know? I want my kids to have a close relationship with my with my my parents and my family, and that's part of being a New Mexican. You know? I love it here. I I don't know anywhere else.

Abe Baldonado: 56:18

Oh, New Mexico is gorgeous, man. Yeah. It's a beautiful state.

Keon Ahghar: 56:21

You there's nowhere in the country that's better weather year round than New Mexico. You know, you have some of the best hiking, outdoors, hunting, fishing Mhmm. You know, amazing food, really beautiful you know, just it's a beautiful state, and there's good people here. And and like I said, I think they deserve better. I I sit there and I wonder, like, should I move my parents out of the state, you know, as they get older?

Keon Ahghar: 56:48

My parents are in good health and that you know? But I'm watching them get put on wait lists now to see the specialists they need to see. You know? And it and it's I it's not fair. And it and I it makes me so worried for them.

Keon Ahghar: 57:04

And I don't wanna look back in ten years and might be like, man, I knew better. Yeah. And I didn't tell my dad or my parents that that they should move somewhere with better health care and something bad happens. Right? And and, you know so what do you do?

Keon Ahghar: 57:16

You you get involved. You know, you start calling your legislators. You start calling your senators. You call you get involved with Patience Primero. You go get involved with Think New Mexico.

Keon Ahghar: 57:26

I mean and and tell talk to people. I mean, what do you do? I mean, I don't I'm not a politician. I don't have some magic wand. I don't And

Abe Baldonado: 57:33

I think it always We have dialogue. We have a conversation. I mean, even just like we're doing here on the Chili Wire, we just have a open, honest conversation about, hey. Here's an issue that's really hurting us. And you may not feel like you're impacted yet.

Abe Baldonado: 57:44

Right. But you will be. And your parents, your loved ones, anyone that you think of will be impacted by this at some point. Maybe not right now in this instance. And, you know, I think we talked about, like, when you're young, man, you don't think about a lot of this stuff.

Abe Baldonado: 57:58

Right? Like, don't think about going to the doctor. No. Know, you think you're immortal in a way. You're like, oh, I'm fine.

Abe Baldonado: 58:04

I'm healthy. I'm only 21 years old. I'm good Until you're not. Yeah. And until your family is not, and they need that care.

Abe Baldonado: 58:12

And so I I couldn't agree with you more. It's it's important for us to have this conversation, but it's it's important for us to get involved. It's important for us to to reach out to our legislators and encourage others to to stand up and and speak their minds. And Keon, I gotta say, I I am grateful for you. I'm happy that we got to know each other.

Abe Baldonado: 58:31

We got connected, and I I am excited about what's to come because I think there is gonna be a change. I think there is gonna be an opportunity where New Mexico thrives and actually sees this through that we make changes to our medical malpractices. And we we see a change where, hopefully, like you said, it's not gonna be an overnight fix where doctors are just going to flood in tomorrow, but it'll create an environment where new doctors and former doctors and folks will say, you know what? Maybe I do want to go back to New Mexico. Now it seems like a good place.

Abe Baldonado: 59:01

I always loved it. And, you it's not gonna happen overnight, but, hey, New Mexico is getting it together. There's people like Keon who are advocate advocating for and telling stories

Keon Ahghar: 59:11

Yeah.

Abe Baldonado: 59:11

I love our it. Behalf.

Keon Ahghar: 59:12

Yeah. I love it here. And I love that again, it's one of those things that, you know, I like I said, I know so many people who've left. And it's sad when I talk to people that I went to college with, whether they're dentists or physicians who who came back here because their families are here. Man, so many of them are like, they've been looking.

Keon Ahghar: 59:28

Yeah. You know? Even even so many I've had so many people tell me, you should just get a get get licensed in another state just in case. But that's not the point. The point is people deserve better.

Keon Ahghar: 59:41

There's a broken system that was, in my opinion, broken on purpose. Right? And I and I believe that that's wrong. It's wrong to profit off the pain and suffering of my neighbors, my community, the people in my state. That's wrong.

Keon Ahghar: 59:57

And, you know, like I said, New Mexico should living here should not be a death sentence. It should not be a medical death sentence to live in New Mexico. And, again, it's fixable, but political will is the only barrier. The craziest thing is changing 20 people would mean 2,000,000 people would get better health care.

Abe Baldonado: 01:00:21

Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 01:00:22

And that is crazy that those certain people for their own profits

Abe Baldonado: 01:00:27

A handful of people.

Keon Ahghar: 01:00:28

Right? And they again, they sit there and they say, oh, you know, I'm you know, we're I'm here we're here to protect patients.

Abe Baldonado: 01:00:34

Study it. We need

Keon Ahghar: 01:00:35

to look at it.

Abe Baldonado: 01:00:35

We need to evaluate this.

Keon Ahghar: 01:00:37

It's like you

Abe Baldonado: 01:00:37

had years to do this. Yeah. Groups have taken it upon themselves like Think New Mexico, which is one of the most reputable think tanks in New Mexico with a a nonpartisan angle to this is that, hey, here's the data. Here's what we're seeing.

Keon Ahghar: 01:00:51

And Right.

Abe Baldonado: 01:00:51

Here's the proof that we need to do these changes if we wanna see the difference. Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 01:00:56

You know, it's it's the it's the it's the people. It used to be I I used to say with all the people in rural New Mexico, but it's really everywhere. Everywhere in New Mexico, you're waiting for basic surgery Yeah. While, you know, the big city law firms are are celebrating, know, justice is what they're calling it. But but, again, a true justice would be joining with doctors, joining with the people in New Mexico to actually fix the system Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 01:01:22

Which they're not doing. If they actually cared as much as they say they do about good outcomes, well, they would have better health care. We would we they would they would go in there and say, you know what? I actually don't want anybody else to get hurt. We need to double the number of doctors in the state.

Keon Ahghar: 01:01:36

Right? We wanna have the best it's not even like at this point, like I said, it's we're hemorrhaging doctors. At this point, we just need to stop that bleed.

Abe Baldonado: 01:01:43

Yeah. We just need to stop it.

Keon Ahghar: 01:01:44

Stop the bleed and then try everything we can to rebuild it. And that won't happen by some by by by, you know, by that will never happen by some kind of compromise solution. The solution is do what's right. Do what's right to protect people. Do what's right to help the people of the state get good health care.

Keon Ahghar: 01:02:04

And then we can build on it because there are good doctors. There are amazing doctors. You know, a friend of mine who's someone I look up to is a doctor in Roswell who he's an oncologist, and he has built a giant health system just on his own. Right? And they have two rheumatologists, two endocrinologists, they have a neurologist, they have all these doctors, and and that's a low that's just a home like, a local practice.

Abe Baldonado: 01:02:28

And they have punished for his success.

Keon Ahghar: 01:02:31

Right. I mean, but and he's and and again, he's one of those people that just just talking to him, and I see his patients, I see the care he gives, and the doctors he has, they give great care. They're passionate about treating people. They're not lawyers. They're not they're not politicians.

Keon Ahghar: 01:02:45

They can't they can't go up to Santa Fe and spend the sixty day session sitting there, you know Waiting for a bill to Waiting for bills to happen. And they

Abe Baldonado: 01:02:54

and instead they pull it up in the middle of the night when no one's paying attention. You

Keon Ahghar: 01:02:57

know? And if you so last last, you know, last this last sixty day session, one of the bills we tried to pass was just to put a cap on the amount of money attorney could take from a malpractice lawsuit.

Abe Baldonado: 01:03:12

Mhmm.

Keon Ahghar: 01:03:12

Right? So it was and every attorney I talked to said, well, no. We already that that's that's that's standard. Well, if it's standard, then why are we fighting over it? Right?

Keon Ahghar: 01:03:19

If you're saying the standard for you to take 30% or 33%, then why are you fighting so, fighting so hard against this? Right? And, that was kind of a litmus test. It was a little bit of an exposure. Like, hey.

Keon Ahghar: 01:03:30

This exposes, like, really, you don't actually care about this. You're you're you're trying to protect your profits. Yeah. Right? But what was interesting is that the session we tried and and for anybody who doesn't know, when you the legislative system, I don't know, man.

Keon Ahghar: 01:03:43

I'm not involved in that. It's it just seems like a disaster. I don't know. Maybe it actually works really well, and I just don't know. But it was, you know, just getting to know all that stuff.

Keon Ahghar: 01:03:50

Again, I'm a nobody. I'm a just someone who cares, who's from here, who just wants to be better. I'm not an attorney. I'm not a politician. I have no interest in politics.

Keon Ahghar: 01:03:59

I just my interest is my children live having the ability to have the same access to health care than anybody in the country has.

Abe Baldonado: 01:04:08

Just a high quality of life.

Keon Ahghar: 01:04:10

I have got I I want my children to be saved, my parents to be saved. But what was interesting, getting involved in the you know, just just to watch it. Right? I didn't get involved. Watched it.

Keon Ahghar: 01:04:17

I tried to get involved, tried to be a part of it, tried to, you know, try to make some kind of difference. And so they kept saying, oh, we're gonna hear this bill, the one that that kept, you know, the lawyer fees. And it kept coming up, they kept pushing it back. It kept putting up, hey. We're gonna hear it today.

Keon Ahghar: 01:04:32

No. They're not gonna hear it. And five times, I drove to Santa Fe from Roswell, and five times, drove home when I about halfway. One time, I got there and then drove home. So five times, drove three hours.

Keon Ahghar: 01:04:42

And that's I'm not trying to say, oh, I woe is me. That's fine. You know? When it actually happened, I got, like, an hour notification, so I couldn't even get up there. So I watched it.

Keon Ahghar: 01:04:52

And it was exactly what I had been told would happen. Right? And it's almost like people think it's like a some kind of court trial. It's not. The people have already made up their minds Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 01:05:02

Who are up there. And when you look at the people who are up there and, you know, when the the chair of that committee specifically is their biggest funder is trial attorneys, you kinda already know where that's going. Yeah. Right? But what do the trial attorneys do?

Keon Ahghar: 01:05:14

It was disgusting. It literally made me sick. They literally paraded people who had been harmed by medical malpractice or they say had been harmed, but they probably were. And I they should be made whole or the best

Abe Baldonado: 01:05:28

we can. Yeah. But now they're using them as pawns.

Keon Ahghar: 01:05:31

They literally it was disgusting. I it made me sick to everybody I know who was watching that was literally, their response was, like, guttural. Like, that's gross. That's just wrong. People in wheelchairs, people who were harmed, they literally just paraded them out and almost like like, oh, this is so and so, and this is what happened to her.

Keon Ahghar: 01:05:52

Okay. Next. And this is so and so, and look what happened to her. And it was literally like that. Well, from what I understand, I mean, I I was given an hour notice, and I don't live in a wheelchair.

Keon Ahghar: 01:06:02

Yeah. Right? From what I was told was that they had literally just put all those people in hotels in Santa Fe

Abe Baldonado: 01:06:09

Just waiting.

Keon Ahghar: 01:06:09

For the entire session just waiting to see if that bill was heard. And if it got heard, they would parade them all out. Yeah. And and again, this is who this again, it's like but they know the system. I don't know the system.

Keon Ahghar: 01:06:19

I'm just I'm just a guide Yeah. Practicing in New Mexico. I don't know how a lawyer. I'm not a politician. I don't know how the system works.

Keon Ahghar: 01:06:26

But what I do know is that the people here have a voice. And if your voice is not being if the voice of the people is not I mean, I can't imagine any person in New Mexico. I cannot imagine a single person in Mexico would be against a medical compact. If I told if I told any person, hey. Are you against having a world class doctor consult on your case?

Keon Ahghar: 01:06:47

Yeah. No. I don't want I don't want that. No one to say that.

Abe Baldonado: 01:06:51

No. So They'd be like, yeah. Absolutely.

Keon Ahghar: 01:06:53

Absolutely. So and let's know that I'm not trying to, like there's no hidden, like, agenda or anything. I it's literally, do you want access to better health care? Yes. We do not

Abe Baldonado: 01:07:03

have a nonprofit that we're getting millions of dollars

Keon Ahghar: 01:07:05

Right. No. This is literally like medical complex so common sense. Yeah. Even that, which is so common sense, and they still fought tooth and nail and blocked it.

Abe Baldonado: 01:07:14

Well, and it's unfortunate, Keon, that, you know, folks like you who aren't involved in the legislative process much, you know, you have your your job that you do. But, you know, those of us who have been around the roundhouse have always said, it's pretty easy to get jaded. You know? And I wish more people saw what happens there because I think we would see a big change in our electorate. People would really start saying, yeah.

Abe Baldonado: 01:07:38

There's not a whole lot of accountability here. I need to reflect on who I'm voting for and what's happening because when you go and you see stuff like that that's happening at our roundhouse, it it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. I'm sure you walked away like

Keon Ahghar: 01:07:51

Man.

Abe Baldonado: 01:07:51

Is this how it is for So can

Keon Ahghar: 01:07:53

you just talk more about that? Because I I I literally I I don't know anything. And I walked in and I I mean, again, I don't know much about all this stuff. I'm a total newbie to this. I was just a person that was like, I see a problem, and I wanna I wanna Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 01:08:05

I wanna wanna fix it. Right? And then so you know about I'm I'm sitting there walking in. I'm like, this is and I'm watching these bills go through, and and the way that they are like and and people are like, oh, well, so and so is in charge of assigning the bill. And if it gets assigned to more than x amount of committees, then it's definitely dead.

Keon Ahghar: 01:08:20

Yeah. And they do it that for me.

Abe Baldonado: 01:08:21

Committee assignments, it's usually dead.

Keon Ahghar: 01:08:23

The so so then you follow that back. And the person who's in charge of assigning those committees, trial attorney. Yeah. Right?

Abe Baldonado: 01:08:29

Yeah. The the the authority leader decides what committees it goes to. Hey. I don't like this. We're gonna give it three committee assignments.

Abe Baldonado: 01:08:35

We're gonna slow it down.

Keon Ahghar: 01:08:36

You look at people like, you know, Peter Worth, Joe Cervantes. Yep. I'm just calling them out because I'm I'm I'm not a politician. I have no political affiliation. I'm I'm I'm a registered independent.

Keon Ahghar: 01:08:47

Mimi Stewart, you know, Katie Duig. Duig. These people literally are trading money for blood. Mhmm. And there's no other argument there.

Keon Ahghar: 01:09:00

Again, you can say, oh, we're trying to protect patients and all all this stuff. Well, if you truly cared about that, you would make it better and not continue to make and you're watching it. You helped create this system that made you money. I'm tell there's no way a guy like Joseph Cervantes has not made Millions.

Abe Baldonado: 01:09:17

Millions Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 01:09:18

Off suing doctors. And I of course, he create he helped build the system. The person that helped get us here, I don't remember who his name, he was a trial attorney. And as soon as they built it, he left and went back to practicing. Right?

Keon Ahghar: 01:09:31

Left the legislature, went back to practicing. They they created the system, and then they profited off of it. And, again, the you hear about things that are like, hey. You know, there's causes you care about because you just hey. I don't like it.

Keon Ahghar: 01:09:42

I don't like, it's wrong.

Abe Baldonado: 01:09:43

And he's also chair of the judiciary committee, which is very powerful. So anything that has to go through the legality checks and balances of the law goes to his committee, and he instantly controls when that bill's being heard, when he he kills it. If you stall it long enough, then it's killed as well. But, yeah, it's it's definitely a problematic issue that we have. It's it's something I wish more New Mexicans seem, but that's why we have the ChiliWire to talk about real news, real New Mexicans Yes.

Abe Baldonado: 01:10:10

Stuff that's happening and just bring awareness and truth. Like, let's just speak the truth of what is happening, and let's inform New Mexicans to be cognizant of who represents them and if they are in fact representing

Keon Ahghar: 01:10:24

Right.

Abe Baldonado: 01:10:24

Their needs, their values, the issues. It's important to us. Right. And so I am sorry that you had an unfortunate experience in the roundhouse, but unfortunately, I think that's many folks who are trying to do good work and Right. Trying to you know, there's your advocates and then there's your lobbyists and your interest groups.

Abe Baldonado: 01:10:43

And unfortunately, the interest groups and lobbyists usually tend to win over, you know, the advocates who really have something, like, deep down that's like, hey, this is just a really good thing to do. This is the right thing to do. Right. Unfortunately, you know, housing people in hotels for two months, you and I can't afford to do that. Right?

Abe Baldonado: 01:11:02

So Yeah. But, Kian, just I I want to say thank you so much for coming on the ChiliWire. I think we I'm looking forward to getting you back on because I think there's a lot more conversations that we're going be able to have on this issue and other issues. And so

Keon Ahghar: 01:11:15

And I and I think, unfortunately, this is gonna be one those things that's gonna take time.

Abe Baldonado: 01:11:19

We're gonna have to keep having the conversation.

Keon Ahghar: 01:11:20

And but but I I also really appreciate I I personally, you know, I I as a a New Mexican, you know, the where do you get where do you get New Mexico news? You either hear it from people, right, or you hear it from newspapers. Right? What I really appreciate this is the first time I've ever seen a a podcast that actually addresses issues we're having in New Mexico. Right?

Keon Ahghar: 01:11:39

We get so wrapped up in what's happening in in other places. You know, what's happening with gerrymandering x y places. Well, let let's what I wanna talk about New Mexico. Right? Right?

Keon Ahghar: 01:11:51

I wanna talk about, you know, we can talk about, you know, Washington DC all day. But how much does Washington DC affect my children's lives, my parents' lives, my neighbor, my neighborhood, my you know, just the safety of of my in the in the in the life I live here. Mhmm. We need to be talking more about New Mexico.

Abe Baldonado: 01:12:10

Yeah. The local issues.

Keon Ahghar: 01:12:11

The local issues. And that's what I really that's why I first found out you know, started watching you know, following your podcast and following you guys on Instagram and stuff just because I was like, oh my gosh. Someone's talking about New Mexico. You know, talking about things that I care about. Right?

Keon Ahghar: 01:12:24

Whether it's schools, whether it's, you know, you know, water rights. I mean, I learned a lot about that that stuff I didn't know. Right? You hear all everything has become so jaded that actually hearing from people who are just real people who care, you know, that was I think that's really, really powerful. And so I really appreciate you having you know, taking the time to have me on the on the podcast.

Keon Ahghar: 01:12:46

And like I said, I'm a nobody. I'm just someone who cares. But but I hope that you know, what what I hope is that more people will start to see and understand what what you and I have seen.

Abe Baldonado: 01:12:56

Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 01:12:56

Right? And and we can maybe you know, if we can't change the politicians, maybe we change their minds, you know, and really

Abe Baldonado: 01:13:03

Or change their constituents' minds. Right. Exactly. People got to remember, our our statesmen and stateswomen work for you.

Keon Ahghar: 01:13:10

Like Right.

Abe Baldonado: 01:13:11

They they shouldn't be held as celebrities or No. Politicians. Like, their job are to be our public servants. And Right. We got to hold them accountable.

Abe Baldonado: 01:13:19

If they're not doing what's best interest of New Mexicans and their constituents, there's a problem there. And they work for us, and we got to remember that. Like, they don't work for you know? We don't work for them, you And we have an expectation if we send them to Santa Fe that they're doing the right things, you know, that they're not gaining from their own system that they've created. We've seen that.

Abe Baldonado: 01:13:41

You know, trial lawyers have utilized now the legislative process to look out for themselves. Right. And, you know, on here on the Chili Wire, we'll tell you, we believe in capitalism. We love free markets

Keon Ahghar: 01:13:52

Right.

Abe Baldonado: 01:13:52

But not at the on the backs and the expense of hardworking people. Right. You know? Right. Capitalism is one of the best economic systems ever.

Abe Baldonado: 01:14:01

America is one of the greatest, and New Mexico's, I will tell you, the greatest state of America. But, you know, to do it on misinforming people and, you know, doing it the wrong way, We have problems with that, and we want to address that on the ChiliWire. And, Keon, I just want to say our team here is thankful for you for the kind words. And, yeah, that's why we got this started. We just wanted to you know, we're we're no buddies as well.

Abe Baldonado: 01:14:25

We just wanna have a conversation.

Keon Ahghar: 01:14:27

And, again, we're all we're all part of the same again, we're all in this from my overseas, like, we're all on the same team. It's again, this is all this all the issues facing New Mexico are not partisan. It's so easy to get wrapped up in, you know, Democrat, Republican, red

Abe Baldonado: 01:14:38

And we're more alike than we are different.

Keon Ahghar: 01:14:40

Like Of course. Because we all face the same problems. We all face the same things. And, you know, at the end of the day, we all we all love green Chile. We all love all our traditions.

Abe Baldonado: 01:14:47

Sometimes you like red depending on

Keon Ahghar: 01:14:49

the mail. Some yes. Some or or you don't like Christmas. And but, you know, all those things is is the reality is it's so polarizing if you watch everything happen on a national level. Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 01:14:59

But in reality, I don't think that these these topics are not They're not polar. No. They're they're not. Just like, look. This is this is apolitical.

Keon Ahghar: 01:15:06

Crime is apolitical. Health care is apolitical. Education is apolitical. These are things that we should just all come together and say, I don't care what party you are. We need better.

Abe Baldonado: 01:15:16

Well, and I'll tell you, even the polarizing issues, and I've said this to many people, and I'll say here live on air and everything, is that those polarized issues, both parties are responsible for those issues because they've all had chances to fix it. Right. They won't because they're great talking points. They're great opportunities to use certain issues as pawns, you know, whether it's immigration, border security, foreign relations, whatever it may be. The Democrats have had a crack at it at the federal level where they controlled all levels of federal government.

Abe Baldonado: 01:15:48

The Republicans have as well. And at the end of the day, you know, if it's an issue and it's like, okay, we could have fixed it, but we didn't, then Right. You know, you're part of the problem. And and that's just it. You know, those polarized issues, I think, are not a reflection of who we And I think I'm glad you made that point because that's something that frustrates me as well is when I hear that, you know, Democrats talk about immigration and talk about all this reform.

Abe Baldonado: 01:16:12

And, you know, you had the Obama years where they had all three branches of government.

Keon Ahghar: 01:16:17

Right.

Abe Baldonado: 01:16:17

They didn't fix it.

Keon Ahghar: 01:16:18

Right.

Abe Baldonado: 01:16:18

So if they really, really wanted to fix it, they would have. Right. But here's the problem. They don't want to fix it because then they run out of talking points to get them elected.

Keon Ahghar: 01:16:27

Right.

Abe Baldonado: 01:16:27

Right. And that's that's the problem. And so, Keon, I want to thank you very much for coming on the ChiliWire. We look forward to having you again, and please keep being Bless you, No. Thank you.

Abe Baldonado: 01:16:38

Thank you for getting involved because, honestly, it's individuals like you that really make the difference. You know? Yeah. We bring the microphones to to give you a platform to talk about it, but it's you getting involved, telling the stories of how it impacts you, but the deeper is that how it impacts your family and the opportunities that exist

Keon Ahghar: 01:16:56

for And what I would love and I think it would be great is if, you know, if if your listeners and viewers have the opportunity if you're from New Mexico and you've had you've been like, you know, you have the doctor shortages and the, you know, the lack of health care and the health care system has affected you. Like, comment about it. Tell us. We wanna share share with us. If you can if you're willing to share, I wanna I wanna hear what you're going through.

Keon Ahghar: 01:17:20

Right? And I wanna empathize with you. I wanna I want your problems to be my battle cry. You know? Absolutely.

Keon Ahghar: 01:17:27

Because that's how we make change, and that's how we connect and try to make our state better.

Abe Baldonado: 01:17:31

Absolutely. So Keon, thank you for that. Keon is an avid follower of the Chili Wire. So if you comment on this on our videos, he'll be sure to respond and reach out

Keon Ahghar: 01:17:40

to you. Absolutely.

Abe Baldonado: 01:17:42

And thank you all for tuning in this week to the Chili Wire. If you haven't subscribed yet, follow us now on Instagram, Facebook, and all social media platforms, and you can find us also on YouTube if you're interested.

Keon Ahghar: 01:17:53

So Yeah.

Abe Baldonado: 01:17:53

Keon, thank you very much. We wrap it up. And by the way, just last note, we didn't coordinate. We didn't Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 01:17:58

We didn't coordinate. We we we should have, though.

Abe Baldonado: 01:18:00

We should Yeah.

Keon Ahghar: 01:18:00

If you had told me about the white pants, I would've worn them. Yeah. I should have said something.

Abe Baldonado: 01:18:03

Next time, we're gonna get you back on. We'll make sure we match. Well, everyone, that's it for this week. We'll see you next time on the Chile Wire.