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Medicare plan will let people pay prescription costs over time instead of all at once
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will allow people with Medicare prescription drug coverage to pay out-of-pocket costs in monthly payments spread throughout the year instead of one large payment upfront starting in 2025, under federal guidance issued for implementing the law released this week. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) released a draft outlining […]
CFPB investigating predatory medical credit cards; products yet to get attention from NV regulators
Medical credit cards position themselves as alternatives to spread out the cost of out-of-pocket expenses for dental, optometry, and other services that aren’t covered by insurance for patients, but their practices are under investigation by the federal government as predatory, and their use expanded to covering health care that should be billed to insurance. And […]
Nevada receives three federal grants to treat people with substance use disorder
Three different organizations in the state received a combined $1.7 million in federal grants to expand the treatment of substance use from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) on Tuesday, including for pregnant and postpartum women. Drug overdose remains the leading cause of maternal mortality in Nevada with many deaths attributed to […]
Nevada at top of a bad list: Ambulance deserts
Every county in Nevada is considered an ambulance desert, and the state has the fewest ambulance stations per 1,000 square miles in the country, according to a nationwide study published in May. Access to ambulance services helps treat, stabilize, and transport people who are injured and take them to hospitals if needed, but a delay […]
Tens of thousands of Nevadans have lost Medicaid since May
More than 32,700 Nevadans have lost Medicaid coverage in the first month since the state began to redetermine eligibility after the pandemic era expansion ended in May, according to a data dashboard launched by the state Wednesday to provide transparency of the process. Despite the effort to be transparent, the data lags almost 6 weeks […]
Northern Nevada sees spikes in Covid-19 hospitalizations as feds end free vaccines
Across the country, there’s been an increase in Covid-19 hospital admissions, emergency department visits, and positive tests as the virus enters its fourth season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The newest Omicron subvariant, EG.5, accounts for 17.5% of all new cases nationally, more than doubling in less than a month, […]
Paperwork, technicalities lead to thousands of Medicaid denials for potentially eligible Nevadans
New data suggests that 80% of people who have been disenrolled from Nevada Medicaid following covid pandemic era expansion lost benefits for procedural causes – like outdated contact information, not understanding the paperwork, or not completing documents in a specific time frame. That’s higher than the national average, according to KFF, which compiled the data. […]
HHS Secretary Becerra: Nevada ‘still the wild wild west’ of health care policy
Nevada’s well-documented health care shortages are a source of frustration for many, but U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra believes it also presents opportunities. “Nevada’s growing, Nevada is new, and Nevada is seeing the challenges of being new – of not being the go-to place for somebody wanting to be a […]
Nevada HIV task force disbands, but members vow to continue work
A task force designed to modernize Nevada’s HIV laws has dissolved after three years. The Advisory Task Force on HIV Exposure Modernization was formed by the Nevada Legislature in 2019, during the Sisolak administration, and renewed during the 2021 session. Stephan Page, co-chair of the task force, said members decided not to ask the 2023 […]
Friday Health Plans of Nevada coverage ends August 31
Thousands of Nevadans who got their health insurance through Friday Health Plans of Nevada have until midnight on Aug. 31 to find a new policy. This comes after a Nevada court ordered the liquidation of the company by Sept. 1. Several states, including Nevada, placed the insurance company under receivership, a court proceeding similar to […]
Amid America’s culture war, Washoe County School District approves new sex-ed curriculum
The Washoe County School Board in a 5-2 vote passed an updated sexual education curriculum, but not before drawing criticism from conservatives taking issue with the inclusive and medically accurate language. Trustees Jeff Church and Colleen Westlake voted against the curriculum, citing issues with lessons that use the phrases “boys and people with a penis” […]
Expanding telehealth still a priority for Nevada, even post-pandemic
As the pandemic era wanes, Nevadans are pushing to keep the telehealth expansions permanent at the state and national levels. U.S. Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) last week introduced the bipartisan Strengthening Telehealth and Education for Rural Communities Act, which would reauthorize a pandemic-era grant program that provides funding to tribal and […]