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SANTA FE — For a governor who is known to give lawmakers more tasks than they often care to handle in a 30-day session, Gov. Bill Richardson's 2008 Legislature plans looks to be among the easiest he has put forth - at least on the surface.

Richardson wants action on just a handful of measures when lawmakers meet starting Jan. 15, his office says.

But look deeper and the agenda is more complicated than it seems.

Health care reform might be just one topic, but the multimillion-dollar proposal is massive. Richardson wants to mandate that all New Mexicans have health insurance by 2010 - which means covering at least 405,000 people who currently are uninsured.

Along with that, lawmakers must pass a $6 billion budget and are expected to take up ethics reforms.

There's no doubt, however, health care is The Topic.

The governor wants to make health care companies more efficient and require insurance companies spend at least 85 percent of premiums on direct services.

In addition, he wants to create a panel that would oversee such changes, and keep enough doctors in the state to do it.

Though the session is still about a month away, a presentation on the costs and nuances of the plan, dubbed Health Solutions New Mexico, drew a majority of state legislators to the state Capitol on Monday. They crowded into the hearing with lobbyists and advocates, eager to get a head start on the meatiest part of next year's agenda.

While some community members have praised the four-phase plan, lawmakers mostly have questions about the costs and logistics of insuring those not currently covered - without busting the state's budget.

Those numbers have changed since Human Services Department officials first started pitching the plan. Because of a math error, the plan now is expected to cost an additional $30 million a year starting in the 2010 fiscal year, not $75 million more as first thought. And instead of costing $333 million over the first five years, proponents now say the plan would cost $72 million.

But Rep. John Heaton, a Carlsbad Democrat, said it's hard to swallow even the new figures.

"I'm having a difficult time believing that's the only state cost, and as a legislator, that's what we're interested in - how we're going to pay for it," Heaton said.

Heaton and other legislators say they fear the new coverage will pile onto rising health-related costs already expected in other programs including Medicaid.

The state says it can't afford not to cover everyone, and that the program would eventually pay for itself, bringing in up to $200 million a year from fees paid by employers to cover the uninsured. Revenue would also come from additional taxes collected on insurance premiums.

Health officials say it's cheaper in the long run to provide insurance so people get regular, preventative medical care rather than relying on emergency rooms.

Apart from what it's going to cost taxpayers, Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort, a Sandia Park Republican, said she worries that some employers will reduce their work forces to meet the state's mandate. The plan likely would apply to businesses with four or more employees.

Other employers, including retailers along the state's border could move across the line to avoid paying more, she said.

"I really wish the unintended consequences could get some study," she said.

Already, Richardson is taking steps toward lowering the state's uninsured rate, which is one of the highest in the nation.

He signed an executive order that takes effect in July requiring businesses that want contracts with the state to provide health care to employees.

Senate Minority Whip Leonard Lee Rawson, a Las Cruces Republican, is questioning the constitutionality of the move, and says the Legislature ought to have input on the requirement. He's asking the state Attorney General's Office to weigh in.

Questions about that proposal aside, Richardson is eager to start reforming the health care system while getting a budget passed.

"The priority will be the health care reform," said gubernatorial spokesman Gilbert Gallegos. "The governor wants to keep a narrow focus on this issue because health care reform is such an ambitious effort. It's been years in the making."

While lawmakers are in session, they must draft a $6 billion spending plan for the coming year, along with considering ethics reform measures that failed last year and a handful of other measures the governor puts on his list, including a domestic partnerships bill lawmakers didn't pass this year.

How much Richardson, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president, will be in Santa Fe to see his plans through remains to be seen.

Gallegos said the governor has been and will be involved with the agendas for health care and ethics reform. He has yet to outline the specifics of the ethics measures he'll support.

"He's up to speed on what all the agencies are looking at" on both topics, Gallegos said.

Already, Richardson is facing questions as to whether he followed one of the ethics laws he signed earlier this year, the state's Gift Act. The measures caps gifts from people who do business with the state.

Senate Minority Leader Stuart Ingle, a Portales Republican, says a recent trip Richardson took on a jet operated by the Branch Law Firm of Albuquerque to visit family in Mexico cost more than the $1,000 limit on gifts from state contractors.

Richardson's office has said the governor paid for the flight, but has declined to say how much.