Nevada Watch
Featured news in this section focuses on Nevada, the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange (Nevada Health Link), the Nevada Division of Insurance (in the Department of Business and Industry), and actions by the state legislature affecting insurance brokers and clients.
Gov. Brian Sandoval said Wednesday a U.S. Senate plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act remains a major threat to Nevada’s future fiscal health.
Nevada residents who receive medical insurance through the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange face an average increase of 38 percent under rates proposed for 2018.
The Silver State Health Insurance Exchange announced at its public board meeting earlier this week that residents in 14 Nevada counties will not have access to Qualified Health Plans (QHPs). These are insurance plans certified by the Health Insurance Marketplace under the Affordable Care Act and qualify for subsidies to lower costs.
Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) said Thursday that he has yet to make a decision on his support for the Senate’s bill to repeal Obamacare, but he said in a statement that he has “serious concerns” about how the legislation will impact those on Medicaid.
The first Republican governor who opted to expand Medicaid has decided that Nevada will not be the first state in the nation to attempt to open the government-subsidized health care program to anyone, regardless of need.
Centene Corp, one of the largest players in the Obamacare individual insurance market, said on Tuesday it would expand into three new states in 2018, despite uncertainty over the future of the legislation under President Donald Trump's administration.
A Nevada drug-pricing bill that targeted diabetes drugmakers didn’t make it past the governor’s veto pen, but state lawmakers renewed their efforts with a new bill that not only zeroes in on pharma, but pharmacy benefit managers, too. And this time, the governor is more supportive, according to one report.
Gov. Brian Sandoval on Friday vetoed a bill that would have required drug manufacturers to notify the state in advance of planned price increases for diabetes-related drugs, among other provisions.
There are still many hurdles to go before the bill would become a reality — namely, Gov. Brian Sandoval. Sandoval has supported Medicaid expansion, but hasn't said whether he will sign the bill. There are also plenty of outstanding questions, such as the plan design and plan costs.
Nevada’s Republican Sen. Dean Heller distanced himself from President Donald Trump’s budget proposal on Wednesday, saying he is working with a bipartisan group to preserve Medicaid spending in states that expanded the program.