Health Insurance Reform Means a Better Future for Nevada

The Affordable Care Act will ensure that all Nevadans and Americans have access to the quality, effective, and affordable health insurance that they deserve.  This reform will not only lower costs, but improve choices, competition and offer more assistance to ensure that all Americans can afford health insurance.  It also strengthens Medicare coverage for Nevada’s seniors and extends Medicare’s solvency by more than a decade.  This law isn’t perfect, but with 518,000 Nevadans without health insurance, Nevada cannot afford to repeal it, we need to improve it.
 
In 2014, the Affordable Care Act ensures a competitive insurance marketplace where millions of Americans and small businesses will be able to purchase affordable coverage, and have the same choices of insurance that members of Congress will have.  In the meantime, the Affordable Care Act builds a bridge to help small businesses, early retirees, Medicare beneficiaries, young people who can’t afford insurance, and individuals facing discrimination for pre-existing conditions.

• 518,000 residents who are uninsured and 132,000 residents who have individual market insurance will gain access to affordable coverage.
• 311,000 residents will qualify for premium tax credits to help them purchase health coverage.
• 328,000 seniors will receive free preventive services and 58,200 seniors will have their drug costs in the Medicare Part D “donut hole” covered over time.
• 30,300 small businesses will be eligible for tax credits for premiums.
• 9,400 young adults will be eligible for quality affordable coverage through their parents
• The 228,000 seniors in Nevada who are not enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan will no longer cross subsidize these private plans, saving $45 in premium costs per year.

The new health reform laws represent a fiscally responsible approach to improving our health care system, lowering costs for businesses and consumers, and covering 32 million Americans.  The Congressional Budget Office has determined that this law will be fully paid for, will bend the health care cost curve, and will reduce the deficit by $143 billion over the next ten years and more than a trillion in the next decade.

For more detailed information on health insurance reform, please click here.

Senator Reid watches as President Obama signs the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law on March 22, 2010.

Highlights of Benefits of Health Insurance Reform for Nevada

For more detailed information on the benefits of health insurance reform please click here.

Bans Denials Due to Pre-Existing Conditions

• Insurance companies are unable to exclude children from coverage because of a pre-existing condition.
• In 2014, insurance companies will be prohibited from denying coverage to Americans with pre-existing conditions.
• To help bridge the gap until 2014, Nevada has access to $61.1 million federal dollars to provide coverage for uninsured residents with pre-existing medical conditions through a new Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan program, funded entirely by the Federal government.

No More Dropping Patients When They Get Sick

• Insurance companies are banned from dropping people from coverage when they get sick just because of a mistake in their paperwork, protecting individuals who purchase insurance in the individual market from dishonest insurance practices.

Ends Lifetime Caps

• Insurance companies are no longer able to place lifetime limits on the coverage they provide, ensuring that Nevada’s 1.5 million residents with private insurance never have to worry about their coverage running out and facing catastrophic out-of-pocket costs.

Provides Tax Credits for Small Businesses

• 30,300 small businesses in Nevada may be eligible for the new small business tax credit that makes it easier for businesses to provide coverage to their workers by making premiums more affordable.

Offers Free Preventive Care

• All 328,000 of Medicare enrollees in Nevada will get preventive services such as colorectal cancer screenings, mammograms, and an annual wellness visit without copayments, coinsurance, or deductibles.
• Nevadans enrolled in new plans will have access to recommended preventive services without cost-sharing.
  

Quality, Affordable Health Care for All Nevadans

Access to Health Care
Everyone agrees that when it comes to health care, we have a crisis in the United States.  As the Senate Majority Leader, I am proud that we are taking our nation's health care system in a new direction through the Affordable Care Act.  Over the next few years as the provisions in the historic health insurance reform bill are implemented, I will continue to work with our President, bipartisan members of the Senate and House, our state, and key stakeholders and experts from across Nevada to ensure that all Nevadans have access to quality, affordable health care.
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Medical Research
Our nation's major commitment to health research will likely bring stunning new treatments for cancer, deadly diseases, chronic conditions, and other ailments.  I am committed to making the investments necessary to accelerate the pace of current progress and to spur on new discoveries.
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Health Care Quality
Quality health care should be within the reach of every American, not just the select few. From modernizing the health information technology infrastructure to eliminating disparities in care, there are a number of goals that have been achieved and more work remaining to be done.
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Public Health and Health Care Workforce
The health and well-being of the nation, in times of calm as well as emergencies, depend on a strong health care infrastructure and workforce. Given the rapidly growing population in Nevada, we feel some problems, such as shortages of primary care providers, more acutely. The popularity of Nevada to visitors from across the world also makes our home state more vulnerable to the serious threat of pandemic flu.
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