- Officials assure advocates that push to privatize Medicaid services will move slowly, be transparent (reviewjournal.com)Managed Care Expansion (dhcfp.nv.gov)
Nevada officials on Wednesday assured advocates in Clark County that any process to privatize Medicaid services for the elderly, blind and disabled will move slowly and will be transparent...Advocates with Nevadans for the Common Good, a coalition of Las Vegas Valley institutions advocating for several issues including protection for vulnerable senior citizens...met privately with state officials. Attendees at the closed-door meeting included Richard Whitley, director of the state's Health and Human Services Department...Barbara Paulsen, leader with Nevadans for the Common Good, said the meeting was positive and that advocates were pleased with what they learned. She said the coalition's push for transparency and the Las Vegas Review-Journal's reporting to get the information on the potential switch out to the public may have had an "impact on the process."..."Our concern was that the decision was already made and it was just all going to go very quickly without getting any input (from the public)," she said Wednesday. "That doesn't seem to be the case."...After gathering information, state officials will develop a report that will be sent to the governor and the Legislature, she said. The governor would ultimately have to make a recommendation, which the state's Interim Finance Committee would have to approve, according to the legislation.
NOTICE OF TOWN HALL AND LISTENING SESSION ON MEDICAID MANAGED CARE EXPANSION OPTIONS
- 1/20/2016 Clark County Library - 1401 East Flamingo Road - Las Vegas
- 2/2/2016 Sahara West Library - 9600 West Sahara Avenue - Las Vegas
- 2/2/2016 Summerlin Library - 1771 Inner Circle - Las Vegas
- 2/17/2016 William Bee Ririe Hospital - 1500 Avenue H - Ely
- 2/19/2016 Humboldt General Hospital - 118 E. Haskell Street - Winnemucca
- Health insurance exchange enrollment strong ahead of deadline (reviewjournal.com)
More than 72,600 Nevadans signed up for a Nevada Health Link plan between Nov. 1 and Saturday, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services....That's more than double the 35,000 enrollees who had selected a plan by this time in 2014...Consumers had to have a plan in place by Dec. 17 to qualify for coverage that would begin on Jan. 1, but they have until Jan. 31 to buy insurance and avoid a federal tax for lacking coverage. The tax in 2016 will equal 2.5 percent of household income, or $695 per adult and $347.50 per child up to a household maximum of $2,085 — whichever is higher...Nearly 70 percent of Nevada's exchange enrollees can find plans for $75 a month or less after tax credits...
- Mike’s Pharmacy Closing in Carson City (kolotv.com)
A local pharmacy owner says the Affordable Care Act is putting him out of business. After nearly 20 years in operation, Mike's Pharmacy in Carson City will close its doors for good on Wednesday, November 11, 2015…Mike's Pharmacy opened in Carson City in 1997 and has been a community institution ever since…"It is very hard to lose this business because of circumstances I had no control of," said Mike Hautekeet, owner of Mike’s Pharmacy…He says the trouble started with the implementation of Obamacare. It wasn't the employer obligation; his employees already had insurance. Instead Hautekeet says Obamacare changed the way pharmacies are reimbursed by insurance companies…"If my cost is too high, and they reimburse me not enough, a lot of times we lose money to fill the prescription," said Hautekeet.
- Petition filed to place Nevada Health CO-OP into receivership (reviewjournal.com)
Nevada Health CO-OP is struggling to the end…Nevada Division of Insurance…filed a petition in Clark County District Court to place the CO-OP into a conservation-rehabilitation receivership. If the court grants the petition, the division would take control of the CO-OP's assets, distribution of funds and administration… CO-OP was created by the federal Affordable Care Act...It borrowed $65.9 million from the federal government to get off the ground…It has not made profits to pay back the loans: The CO-OP reported a $19.3 million operating loss in 2014, and losses of $22.7 million from January through June…It's the fourth of 23 Obamacare CO-OPs to fail nationwide.
- Nevada Health Link records 77,411 enrollees, topping previous enrollment period (reviewjournal.com)
Two days ahead of a key signup deadline, the federal government released new enrollment numbers for Nevada's health insurance exchange...Nevada Health Link had 77,411 enrollees on Wednesday, the Department of Health and Human Services reported...That means the exchange has already bested the 72,000 enrollees that bought coverage through the marketplace in all of 2015's open-enrollment period...The department said the latest numbers include existing customers who were automatically re-enrolled, though officials didn't break down how many enrollees were new versus returning...Consumers who haven't bought coverage by Jan. 31 face a federal tax of 2.5 percent of household income, or $695 per adult and $347.50 per child up to a household maximum of $2,085 — whichever is higher.
- Nevada ranks 38th in nation for overall health (rgj.com)
According to an annual report from the United Health Foundation, Nevada is ranked 38th in the U.S. when it comes to health...Nevada’s rank in 2014 was 39, so the state has improved over the past year. Here are some snapshots of how Nevada compares to national numbers for health-related topics:
- In Nevada, 17 percent of people smoke compared to the 18 percent national average.
- Drug deaths are significantly higher in Nevada, with 22.4 overdose deaths per 100,000 people compared to a 13.5 death average nationally.
- Nevada is average when it comes to the inactivity of adults. 22.5 percent of adults in Nevada are physically inactive compared with 22.6 nationally.
- Infant mortality is lower in Nevada, with 5.1 deaths per 1,000 live births compared to the 6 national average.
- In Nevada, 27.7 percent of adults are obese compared to the national average of 29.6. For diabetes, 9.6 percent of Nevadan adults have diabetes compared to 10 percent nationwide.
- For children’s vaccinations, 67.7 percent of children in Nevada are immunized compared to 71.6 nationally.
The top five healthiest states in the nation, according to the report, include Hawaii, Vermont, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New Hampshire
- NV patient dumping suit to be settled (rgj.com)
Nevada has tentatively agreed to pay $400,000 to the City and County of San Francisco to settle allegations that the state wrongfully and intentionally bused psychiatric patients to the city and declined to pay the costs connected with their care…The deal, if approved by the Nevada Board of Examiners and a similar board in San Francisco, is expected to end an expensive legal battle that has lasted more than two years…The settlement will bring an amicable resolution to this matter,"…
- Online Tool Compares Healthcare Stats Across Nevada (kunr.org)Nevada Instant Atlas, Nevada's County-Level Health Database (medicine.nevada.edu)
A new online tool is offering healthcare data that's broken down for each Nevada county. Reno Public Radio's Michelle Billman reports the database provides snapshots on how different counties compare on everything from their healthcare workforce to how many of their residents have health insurance…The project is called the Nevada Instant Atlas and it looks at healthcare indicators, including population demographics like income. It also profiles the overall health of people in a given area, along with their access, or lack of access, to medical specialists.
- Nevadans slow to embrace state’s health insurance exchange, data show (reviewjournal.com)
New numbers show Nevadans have been slow to jump into the state's health insurance exchange…Department of Health and Human Services reported Wednesday that 23,248 Nevadans bought coverage through Nevada Health Link in the first month of open enrollment, from Nov. 1 through Saturday…That's roughly half of the 40,285 residents who bought a plan through the exchange in the first month of sign-ups a year ago…Federal officials said enrollment should pick up as the Dec. 15 deadline nears to buy a plan with a Jan. 1 start date...Consumers without coverage in place by then face a federal tax for going without health insurance.
- Nevada Board of Pharmacy – Notice of Intent to Act Upon a Regulation – Addition of Schedule I Substances (bop.nv.gov)
Nevada State Board of Pharmacy will hold a public hearing at 9:00 a.m., on Thursday, October 15, 2015, at the Hilton Garden Inn, 7830 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, Nevada. The purpose of the hearing is to receive comments from all interested persons regarding the adoption and amendment of regulations that pertain to chapters 453 and 639 of the Nevada Administrative Code.
The following information is provided pursuant to the requirements of NRS 233B.060
Amendment of Nevada Administrative Code 453.510 - Schedule I
1. The need for and the purposed regulation or amendment
The proposed amendment to NAC 453.510 will add newly identified synthetic drugs to the list of controlled substances listed on Schedule I, and provides for other matters properly related thereto.