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Nevada among states joining FTC in anti-trust suit against Amazon
Nevada joined 16 states and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in a lawsuit against Amazon, alleging that the online retail and tech company is a monopoly that maintained its influence through anticompetitive and unfair practices. “Amazon is a mammoth corporation and like most of my constituents, I am also an Amazon customer. There is nothing […]
State announces updated COVID-19 vaccines now available
Nevadans can now get the updated COVID-19 vaccines to protect against the new strains of the disease, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday. The Updated COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech are available and recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older after approval by the U.S. Food and Drug […]
Medicaid reinstated for Nevadans who lost coverage due to procedural denials
Approximately 114,000 Nevadans who lost their Medicaid coverage after the pandemic-era policy to keep people continuously enrolled expired have had their coverage reinstated. The coverage was reinstated by the Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services (DWSS) after a federal policy change on August 30 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), according […]
State’s consumer medical debt protections don’t apply to medical credit cards
Nevada law provides some consumer protections against medical debt collection practices, but those protections do not apply to the debt consumers are racking up with medical credit cards. In the 2021 legislative session, Nevada enacted consumer protections requiring debt collectors to give written notice to people with medical debt 60 days before any action on […]
White House estimates 60,000 Nevadans will save from drug price negotiations
An estimated 60,000 Nevada seniors will pay less in out-of-pocket expenses for the 10 most common, high-price drugs the Biden administration identified this week for price negotiations between Medicare and pharmaceutical companies. The 10 drugs that will be negotiated are Eliquis, Enbrel, Entresto, Farxiga, Imbruvica, Januvia, Jardiance, multiple Fiasp and NovoLog insulin products, Stelara and […]
Rural mental health services pilot program launches in Elko
A new pilot program federally funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) aims to provide crisis mental health services to families and youth in the Elko area. The Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH) oversees the free Mobile Crisis Team program, which includes two teams of a psychiatric case worker and a […]
No-cost grocery store promises help for CCSD students and their families
The gap between hunger and satiation for many Americans is is not getting any smaller as groceries, rent, and health care costs rise and pandemic-era relief ends. More families are skipping meals, eating out less, and turning to food banks for help despite inflation falling for the first time in years. Teetering on the less […]
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 […]