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Feds approve RSV shot after a rough season
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week approved the first Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) drug, Beyfortus (nirsevimab-alip), for all infants and children up to 2 years old after a particularly rough RSV season in the nation and Nevada. Surveillance for RSV showed “unusually high” incidences in Nevada this past season compared to the […]
Huntridge clinic reopens on a smaller scale
The Huntridge Family Clinic, the largest LGBTQ+-centered medical clinic in Southern Nevada, reopens Monday, July 17 after it announced its temporary closure earlier this Spring when the clinic shuttered its doors after a decade because of increased staffing costs. “For 10 years we’ve had a history of providing low barrier care and trying to make […]
A year after behavioral health system’s launch, NV and the nation struggle with implementation
Note: The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 988. Nevadans can reach services by calling, texting, or chatting online. To find mental and behavioral health services in Nevada, visit:behavioralhealthvn.org Last year, the national suicide lifeline shortened its number to three digits: 988, and along with that change launched a nationwide effort to create a comprehensive 24-hour, […]
Rural Nevada seeks more foster parents amid shortage
Over the last 5 years, the total number of licensed foster homes in Nevada has decreased by 42%, from 2054 in 2018 to 1,184 in 2022, according to data from the Who Cares project which tracks the number of foster homes nationwide. But while the number of licensed foster homes has decreased dramatically, the number […]
Nevadans urged to stay covered as pandemic emergency Medicaid winds down
Some Nevadans have started to lose Medicaid benefits with the end of a pandemic era expansion of coverage, and state agencies are trying to renew coverage for those who are eligible, or enroll those who aren’t in the state health insurance exchange. Last week officials with Nevada Health Link, the state’s public health care marketplace, […]
One-sixth of vetoes by Nevada governor were health care related
Legislation lowering prescription drug costs, giving long-term substitute teachers insurance stipends, and protecting doctors who provide gender-affirming care all met Gov. Joe Lombardo’s veto stamp this legislative session. In all, 12 health care bills were among the 75 pieces of legislation the governor rejected. Chief among the health care bill vetoes was Senate Bill 419, […]
Fentanyl bill criminalizing possession follows fear, not science, critics warn
A bill backed by Nevada Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford that criminalizes substance mistreatment also penalizes people for having substantially lower amounts of illegal substances than the felony thresholds in federal law. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo signed the bill Friday. Ford’s bill, SB 35, echoes a national trend of legislation criminalizing fentanyl use — reverting […]
Nevada lands near bottom of list ranking child well-being
Nevada ranks 47th in child well-being among all states, only ahead of Mississippi, Louisiana, and New Mexico, according to the 2023 KIDS COUNT Data Book. The report released Wednesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzes household data from the previous four years to assess how children and families are faring across the nation. The […]
Cost to Medicaid of prescription drugs more than doubles over 5 years, state report shows
The amount spent on medications through Medicaid in Nevada increased 126% from 2017 to 2022, according to a state report on prescription drug pricing. The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) annual Drug Transparency Report tracks drug manufacturer costs and profits, financial assistance and rebates for prescriptions, sales representatives’ compensation, Medicaid spending on […]
Thousands of Nevadans’ health coverage in limbo as Friday Health Plans placed in receivership
Nevada Insurance Commissioner Scott Kipper filed for regulatory supervision of Friday Health Plans of Nevada, which has over 2,800 individuals in the state, after the company announced last week that it will “wind down…business operations.” In addition to Nevada, the company, which was available through the Affordable Care Act marketplace, had thousands of customers in […]
Legislature passes bill extending Medicare-negotiated drug prices to all Nevadans
Legislation that builds on lower drug prices negotiated through the federal Inflation Reduction Act and extends those price caps to all Nevadans, even those not on Medicare, is headed for Gov. Joe Lombardo’s desk. The bill passed the Assembly 27 to 15 in April, mostly along partisan lines with only Democratic Assemblymember Bea Duran voting […]
Legislature approves permanent expansion of telehealth services
Despite opposition from the Nevada Association of Health Plans, a statewide trade association representing insurance companies, a temporary pandemic-era law that expanded access to health care passed the Nevada Legislature this week with a constitutional majority. Senate Bill 119 would continue telehealth access by requiring third-party insurers to cover telehealth at the same rates as […]