The IHC program is the payer of "last resort" and is a claims-based program. A patient must have received services from a contracted provider before participating. Currently, IHC contracted providers include: Memorial Medical Center, La Clinica de Familia, Ben Archer Health Center, Southwest Ambulance, Southwest Air Ambulance, Hatch Ambulance, First Step, Mesilla Valley Hospice, Presbyterian Hospital, University of New Mexico Hospital, Sierra Vista, R.E. Thomason Hospital in El Paso, Texas. Primary preventative care, emergency room visits, inpatient services, outpatient surgery, and all diagnostic tests done at the hospital are covered. The program will pay up to $30,000 per year, per person in combined hospital claims for approved providers. The program will not pay for elective procedures, private physician services in the office, physician’s payment after Medicare. Certain documentation is required and some residency restrictions apply.

Applicants who wish to take advantage of the IHC program must first receive services from a contracted provider and then bring documentation that verifies income for the past 12 months and assets, such as savings, checking, and property other than a home, proof of residency in Doña Ana County, federal and state income tax returns, insurance or any other medical coverage to the Health and Human Services Department of Doña Ana County. The office is located at 845 N. Motel Blvd. on the second floor.

Applicants must have been residents for 90 days, and must file their paperwork within a year after their discharge. Income limits of $26,154 for one person household, $39,231 for two, and $40,731 for three apply. An additional $1,500 can be added to the income cut off for three-person household for every additional person living in the home. Total resources cannot be above $20,000 and notification of status takes 90 days.