health care reform

On May the 4th, the House of Representatives passed their version of health care reform (H.R. 1628) without a single hearing or any input from the Democratic minority. The vote was 217 to 213. All 193 Democrats voted no, as did 20 Republicans:

Western Nevada College non-credit Community Education classes not only offer job skill preparation, they also help build life skills and provide help with personal health. Several classes are on tap this spring that will provide benefits to local residents.

The trouncing Democrats took in November’s elections has opened fissures between their liberal wing, represented by New York Senator Charles Schumer, and their progressive wing, led by President Barack Obama.

Standing uneasily with a foot in each camp is Hillary Clinton. The tiff concerns Obamacare, and 20 years ago, she authored its forerunner, Hillarycare. Having lost both houses of Congress, the party of government (and Hillary) in 2016 may also lose the Presidency if it lacks a compelling message.

Nevada Medicaid enrollments under federal health care reform have surpassed initial projections and are on pace to reach 500,000 by summer.

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.

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.

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.”

Dating back to Republican President Theodore Roosevelt (1904) he and every president since has toyed with some kind of a health care plan, but none have had the appetite to place their political careers on the line for it with the exception of President Barrack Obama.

The Supreme Court today upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, with Chief Justice John Roberts joining the court's liberal wing in a 5-4 vote.

Back in March, I wrote how this whole case hinged on flawed wording in the law when it was written. The authors failed to see how they should have framed this as a tax, not a mandate, and achieved the same result in a more constitutionally friendly way.

Here is how I framed it:

LAS VEGAS — Six-hundred or so of the state’s Democratic party faithful this morning attended their annual state convention at the Bally’s Hotel conference center in Las Vegas. Five-hundred sixty-two delegates were credentialed but about two dozen vendors lined both sides of the room and guests were also welcomed.

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s top state administrators gathered together in meeting rooms and via the internet today to hear first-hand about Gov. Brian Sandoval’s initial plans for his 2013-15 budget.

The all-day meeting called “Budget Kickoff” was intended to provide instructions to state administrators on how to begin preparing their spending plans for the new two-year budget that will take effect on July 1, 2013.

The New Year has always been the perfect time to reflect and look ahead with a fresh perspective. As the primary wellness provider for the South Lake Tahoe area, I would like to address questions you may have about the future of healthcare and what Barton Health has planned for 2012 and beyond.

The 238 House members, many of whom are Tea Party freshmen, are from districts that have been fueled with anti-government rhetoric, who lash out against everything from health care reform to immigr...

The GOP budget bill that garnered nearly every Republican vote in Congress has been much discussed these past few weeks, as has the author of this bill, the party’s economic “genius” Rep. Paul Ryan.

The part of the bill that privatizes Medicare, dubbed “VoucherCare” by some, has taken up most of the discussion. But when I look at the other parts of the bill, I’m amazed that conservatives are lining up to support this nutty plan.

The Northern Nevada Development Authority is hosting a breakfast meeting on Wednesday, June 29 from 7:00 am – 9:00 am at the Carson Nugget on the topic of health care.

“Creating an Accountable and Affordable Healthcare Delivery System” – Ed Epperson, CEO at Carson-Tahoe Regional Health Care Center will review the Affordable Care Act of 2010 and what it did – and didn’t do – to ensure development of affordable and accountable health care throughout the nation. Epperson will also address trends and challenges that are developing in the health care industry.

CARSON CITY – A bill imposing more transparency on rate increases sought by health insurance companies is now on its way to Gov. Brian Sandoval for his review.
Assembly Bill 309, sought by Assembly Speaker John Oceguera, D-Las Vegas, requires health insurance companies to publicize their rate increase requests online and allows the public to participate in rate hearings before the Nevada Division of Insurance.

Nevada’s budget woes could grow worse as Medicaid costs continue to rise during the next decade.
That assertion comes from the Nevada Policy Research Institute, a free-market think tank that released a report today saying that rising Medicaid costs could eat into portions of the state’s budget currently apportioned for education.

By Andrew Doughman
RENO – President Barack Obama highlighted Nevada’s renewable energy sector today with a visit to the heat-to-energy company ElectraTherm, in northern Nevada.
In front of a backdrop of “green machines” Obama touted plans to end $4 billion in subsidies for oil companies in favor of providing incentives for renewable energy companies.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – A new study shows support for Gov. Brian Sandoval’s plan to implement President Barack Obama’s national health care reform law.

CARSON CITY – Nevadans could pay up to $625,684 to consultants who are helping the state implement the controversial federal health care reform law under a state contract.
The contract with Massachusetts-based Public Consulting Group allows up to that level of spending through June 30, 2012.

CARSON CITY – The logic of Gov. Brian Sandoval goes something like this: If you’re going to make me do it, let me do it my way.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
A Florida judge ruled today that a key provision of President Barack Obama’s health care reform law is unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson, a Ronald Reagan appointee serving in Pensacola, Fla., ruled in favor of the 26 states that argued the law’s provision that imposes penalties on people who don’t purchase health insurance is unconstitutional.

CARSON CITY – It’s a rare occurrence that a governor calls a federal law “unconstitutional” one minute and advocates implementing that same law a minute later.

But that’s what happened earlier this week when Gov. Brian Sandoval called for Nevada to move forward with creating the Nevada Health Insurance Exchange, one of the mandates under the Obama administration’s 2010 health care bill.

Sharron Angle is by no means done with politics. So she said to a crowd of 70 conservative grassroots activists during a surprise visit to a Republican town hall meeting Wednesday evening in Las Vegas.
“I have a lot of options,” said Angle. “I am looking at these options. I can’t stop.”
When the crowd welcomed her with a standing ovation and loud cheers, Angle’s eyes filled with tears. She expressed her gratitude to the small group in a voice filled with emotion.
“Thank you so much,” said Angle quietly. “That means so much to me.”

(Updated at 11:45 a.m. on Oct. 21, 2010, to include Gov. Gibbons comments.)
Questionable attack ads and the role of the federal government in job creation were the top issues in an energized debate Wednesday between Rep. Dina Titus and Republican challenger Joe Heck in one of the most closely watched house races of the Nov. 2 general election.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Service
A debate today among the three candidates for Nevada attorney general focused on a disputed ad discussing a decades old criminal conviction of the Republican seeking the post and allegations of political favoritism by the incumbent, Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto.

Freida Carbery of Dayton has been named Nevada Prevention Fellow. As an organizer for the Dayton Food Bank through the Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey counties, Carbery has engaged dozens of community volunteers in the region.

CARSON CITY – Catherine Cortez Masto points to a number of accomplishments in her first term as attorney general, from reducing methamphetamine production in Nevada to cracking down on mortgage fraud, all while having to live with major budget cuts and fewer staff.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – A Nevada insurance broker today said families seeking health care coverage for a child only can no longer purchase such policies because of uncertainty over the effects of the national health care reform law.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Jim Gibbons and representatives of 19 other states today filed a response challenging the federal government’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit against the federal health care law.