Affordable Care Act

by NATASHA VITALE The fight over healthcare in the United States has been a long one, and even came to an utter standstill as the Republican-led House of Representatives shut down the government in an attempt to delay Obamacare from... Read More ›

Employers wanting to know about what to expect from the Affordable Care Act are invited to a Carson City luncheon next month hosted by the Nevada Business Group on Health.

The “Look into Your Future” luncheon on Dec. 4 will feature guest speaker Russ Sullivan, attorney and vice president of Health Care Solutions for the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, who will present an interactive session that draws upon lessons from Massachusetts’ seven-year health care reform experience. Sullivan will provide insight into how to prepare for the changes ahead.

This is a plea to the readers of this great news site to educate themselves about the Common Core "State" Standards being implemented in our schools, and to join with the growing numbers of parents and concerned citizens who seek to reverse course and do something better before it's too late for our children and grandchildren.

To All Fair-minded Americans: At this juncture in our history, we are facing a new terrorist threat. Not from a foreign entity but from a radical extremist sect of the Republican Party. The anti-American factions around the world must be rejoicing to see the government shutdown and know that all the ramifications of this action are caused by our own government.

CARSON CITY — Now that open enrollment has begun for health insurance plans affected by the Affordable Care Act, Nevadans need to be wary of scammers looking to take advantage of consumer’s uncertainty surrounding this law.

by CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON Starting in 2014, the Affordable Care Act – or “Obamacare” – will require that Americans have health insurance. Any citizen without insurance – with very few exceptions – will have to pay a fine if they do... Read More ›

Congressman Mark Amodei (NV-2) voted Friday for a bill to fund the government through Dec. 15 and to permanently delay and defund the Affordable Care Act. The Continuing Resolution keeps in place sequestration spending levels. The measure passed the House 230 to 189.

Amodei stated the following in a news release:

Business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs will have an opportunity to access resources and learn more about overcoming the issues and challenges of launching or expanding a business during the Governor’s Conference on Small Business 2013. The annual statewide conference, taking place in Reno for the first time on August 28 at the Grand Sierra Resort, will provide a comprehensive one-stop resource for information on funding, licensing, regulatory compliance and much more.

Nevada Sen. Harry Reid met last week with Nevada youth in the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Nevada’s youth advocates were Spencer Flanders of Carson City, Breanna Taylor of Minden, Catia Villanueva and Michelle Tostes of Las Vegas.

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is a nonprofit organization created in 1996 with the goal of reducing tobacco use.

Insurance and healthcare reform information is available through a new website launched by the Nevada Division of Insurance.

The website provides Nevada consumers with comprehensive information about insurance and healthcare reform in Nevada. Members of the insurance industry will also find information about doing business in Nevada.

Friday marked yet another deadline at the Legislature. Bills and resolutions had to be approved by the second house committees to which they were assigned after passing out of their respective houses of origin.

Carson City attorney Jackie Bryant will join Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval's team as Deputy Chief of Staff beginning Feb. 19. She will replace Ann Wilkinson, who has served as Sandoval's Deputy Chief of Staff since January 2011.
Wilkinson is leaving to return to the practice of law, effective Feb. 20.

As Prepared for Delivery Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013:

Madam Speaker, Mr. President, Distinguished Members of the Legislature, Honorable Justices of the Supreme Court, Constitutional Officers, Senator Heller, honored guests…...

The federal government has conditionally approved Nevada's plan to set up an information system for consumers and small businesses to compare health insurance plans as required by the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today released budget data that had been sought by state lawmakers after a weeks-long disagreement over whether the information was public.

CARSON CITY – Nevada State Medical Association President Florence Jameson said today that Gov. Brian Sandoval made a “politically courageous and correct” policy decision to expand the Nevada Medicaid program.

The decision will ensure that there will not be a new class of uninsured Nevadans when the federal health coverage changes are implemented in January 2014, said Jameson, a physician.

CARSON CITY – State Senate Republican leaders today commended GOP Gov. Brian Sandoval’s decision to expand the state Medicaid program as a commitment to the health of all Nevadans and a boost for a critical sector of the state’s economy.

“Ensuring that poor Nevadans have access to primary health care through Medicaid is very simply the right thing to do, both for our citizens and our economy,” said Sen. Michael Roberson, R-Henderson. “It will reduce our rate of uninsured and provide individuals with greater economic security.”

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today announced he will include 78,000 additional people in Nevada’s Medicaid program as provided for under the federal Affordable Care Act.

“Though I have never liked the Affordable Care Act because of the individual mandate it places on citizens, the increased burden on businesses and concerns about access to health care, the law has been upheld by the Supreme Court,” he said in a statement. “As such, I am forced to accept it as today’s reality and I have decided to expand Nevada’s Medicaid coverage.

CARSON CITY – The Nevada State Democratic Party today said Gov. Brian Sandoval should immediately disclose state agency budget requests to the Legislature and public.

Some state lawmakers expressed concern at an Interim Finance Committee meeting in October that the Sandoval administration had not provided them with information about state agency requests over and above their base budget requests, known as “items for special consideration.”

CARSON CITY – A Nevada family of four with a median income of $65,212 will see a nearly 5 percent tax hike next year if a collection of tax breaks are not renewed by Congress as it deals with the so-called “fiscal cliff”, according to a new report by the Tax Foundation.

The 4.92 percent tax increase as a percentage of the median income ranks Nevada 29^th among the states in the higher rates they would pay, the study determined.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval said today his administration has fully complied with a requirement in state law to provide preliminary state budget data to lawmakers and their staff.

“The agency requests have been presented to the Legislature in accordance with the law,” he said. “I don’t see any problems.”

CARSON CITY – A dispute has emerged between Gov. Brian Sandoval and the Legislature over what information in the initial state agency request budget should be made available to legislative staff and the public.

At a meeting of the Legislature’s Interim Finance Committee today, state Budget Director Jeff Mohlenkamp was asked about what is considered by legislative staff to be a departure from past practice regarding the budget information provided to legislative fiscal staff and the public.

RENO – Gov. Mitt Romney fired up a crowd of about 2,000 enthusiastic Northern Nevada  voters today, urging them to get to the polls and help him take the battleground state that is Nevada 13 days from now.

Romney told the crowd that President Obama is out of ideas, out of excuses and will be out of office come Nov. 6.

The president, “doesn’t understand what it takes to get this economy going, he doesn’t have a plan to get jobs for Americans, I do and that’s why I’m going to win,” he said.

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s next two-year general fund budget would grow by $279 million to $6.46 billion based on the initial spending requests submitted by state agencies, information released today by the Budget Division shows.

CARSON CITY – Candidates in two of Nevada’s hotly contested Congressional races debated the issues Thursday in separate 30-minute discussions on public television.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval said today that there are a large number of variables in play as he prepares his 2013-15 budget, including who wins the presidential election on Nov. 6.

Sandoval said a decision on whether to expand Nevada’s Medicaid program to cover newly eligible residents under the Affordable Care Act will wait for that result, since Gov. Mitt Romney has said he wants to repeal the law.

CARSON CITY – The two candidates in the race for the state Senate District 5 seat in Henderson debated the issues today in a televised exchange, finding more agreement than division on the all important subject of education reform.

CARSON CITY – It took all of about ten minutes for Sen. Dean Heller and Rep Shelley Berkley to mix it up in their first debate in the U.S. Senate race Thursday, criticizing each other on campaign issues ranging from ethics to Medicare to big oil subsidies.

The hour-long debate on KNPB-TV in Reno was the first chance for many voters to see the two candidates spar on the issues, most of which have already been the focus of campaign attacks in the race to date.

CARSON CITY – The Nevada Division of Insurance (NVDOI) is seeking public input on what should be included in Nevada’s essential health benefits plan under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

CARSON CITY – The Nevada Division of Insurance is seeking public input on the selection of Nevada’s essential health benefits plan.
The essential health benefits plan for Nevada will be the benchmark set of health care services that will be required in all individual and small group health insurance plans starting in 2014.