Nevada Watch

Health insurers and patients could safely save many billions of dollars annually by swapping out a more expensive drug for a less expensive generic in the same class of drugs, according to a study published Monday.

Insurers will seek significant premium hikes under President Barack Obama’s health care law this summer — stiff medicine for consumers and voters ahead of the national political conventions.

Health Plan of Nevada, a UnitedHealthCare company, is gearing up for the next open enrollment period after reports of it leaving several states.

Pharmacy students at Roseman University are volunteering to help Nevada’s Medicare population learn more about their insurance coverage, and a new grant is expected to boost their efforts.

An executive director of a health insurance exchange in Nevada said that the state-based marketplace has helped the region save as much as a million dollars in 2015.

Nevada health officials say a report released Tuesday ranking counties in the state on health outcomes and factors emphasizes the need to invest in public health, especially in rural areas.

Nevada's health insurance exchange disputes a federal report claiming it misallocated funds for creating its program and recommending it consider refunding $893,000 to the Centers Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Enrollment in Nevada's health insurance marketplace handily beat the totals of a year ago.

A new hospital model is coming to the Las Vegas Valley. Dignity Health, which runs three St. Rose Dominican campuses in Henderson and southwest Las Vegas, plans four smaller neighborhood hospitals across the Las Vegas Valley in the next two years.

With four days left in the sign-up period, Nevada's health insurance exchange is closing in on 80,000 customers.