Song playsIntro by hostWelcome to High Country - politics in the American West. My name is Sean Diller; regular listeners might know me from Heartland Pod’s Talking Politics, every Monday.Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation.Alright! Let’s get into it: NEVADA CURRENT:Get insurance while the gettin’ is goodOpen enrollment for health insurance plans offered under the Affordable Care Act in Nevada, and nationwide for that matter, ends on Jan 15. It’s anticipated to be the largest enrollment in the state’s history.Across the U.S. nearly three in four people enrolled through the marketplace receive health care coverage that’s subsidized — the highest rate since the ACA was implemented.A Biden administration spokesperson said “Nevada Health Link had a record-setting enrollment last year and with the expanded help of the Inflation Reduction Act, and we look forward to even more Nevadans finding quality, affordable health care for 2023,”  In 2022, enrollment hit record highs nationally and in Nevada, when 101,411 people signed up for coverage during open enrollment in the state, aided by subsidy enhancements in the American Rescue Plan Act. Those savings amount to an average of $4,494 for a middle-class family of four in Nevada.“The more enrolled we see, the healthier Nevada is,” said Katie Charleson, the communications officer at Silver State Health Insurance Exchange.But while more people are getting access to health care than ever before, systemic barriers are still making it harder for some populations to get coverage. Americans who have a high school education or less, are Hispanic, live in rural areas, or lack internet access at home are disproportionately underrepresented in the subsidized marketplace plans despite being eligible, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.For individuals who get enrolled in January, your coverage will begin February 1st, go to healthcare.gov to get insured. SOURCE NM:Congress green-lights NM plan to further tap the land grant fund for public educationA few lines in the 4,000-page budget bill recently signed by President Biden will mean hundreds of millions more in funding for New Mexico’s public school students each year. Last year, voters in N.M. overwhelmingly approved pulling an additional 1.25% from the state’s multi-billion dollar Land Grant Permanent Fund, for education, each year. But because the fund was initially set up by Congress back when New Mexico first became a state, the shift in funds required Congress to sign off.In the next fiscal year in New Mexico, over $200 million will be disbursed out of a pool of money that’s fed by revenue from oil, gas and mineral extraction on state-owned lands. Over half of the funds are destined for the state’s early childhood education system, as it hires more staff and works to reach all corners of the state, providing free or low-cost child care and pre-kindergarten schooling.  U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich said “When we improve our education and child care system, we also make our state a better place to raise a family, to start or expand a business, to find a good-paying job, and to hire the best and brightest employees,”The rest of the fresh funding will go to K-12 public education, beefing up instruction for students who are at-risk, making the school year longer and paying teachers better.Advocates say infusing public education with much-needed resources will go a long way toward putting New Mexico into compliance with a court order to provide equitable education to all of the state’s students, including those who are Indigenous, come from families with low incomes, have disabili