Skip to main content

Resources, State Efforts

Nevada 2020 Health Care Legislative Guide

Published On August 10, 2020

PDF Mockup

Health care access and cost remains one of the most important problems facing America.

  • Nevada has the seventh-highest uninsured rate in the United States (11% in 2018).
  • In addition, Nevada’s unemployment rate jumped from 6.9% in March to 30.1% in April on a seasonally-adjusted basis. It was 15% in June, which likely has severed tens of thousands of Nevadans from their employer sponsored insurance.
  • The COVID pandemic is drastically impacting insurance coverage for Nevada — between March and May of 2020, over 42,000 people enrolled in Nevada’s Medicaid program; this is 42 times higher than enrollment between March and April of 2019.
  • A disproportionate number of those infected (69% on July 1, 2020) in Nevada are Black, Indigenous, and people of color, who make up 50% of the state’s population.
  • Seniors are at greatest risk. As of July 1, 2020 83% of COVID deaths in Nevada were among patients aged 60 or older.
  • Access to health care has only become more challenging during the pandemic and will likely have lasting impacts on rural communities. Communities in a contiguous twelve-county region in central Nevada lack a single ICU bed, requiring rural Nevadans who get sick with COVID to drive hours to the nearest hospital, sometimes out-of-state. In March 2020, it was reported that only 8 of 20 rural ICU beds in the state were available.
  • In July 2020, Governor Sisolak released a COVID-19 Fiscal Report projecting a $1.2 billion budget deficit in the Fiscal Year 2021 budget.

The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated the need for practical solutions that address both the immediate challenges and the long-term gaps in our health care systems to ensure Nevadans can access quality health care they can afford.

Key Messages for Candidates:

  • Acknowledge the moment: “Our country is at a pivotal moment. The pandemic, economic recession, and national discussion on race have created a renewed call for action. They have also magnified the critical problems that exist in our health care system.”
  • Take an active stance: “It is long past time to examine our systems and address gaps that have existed for decades. We must find solutions and common ground to build a health care system that serves everyone.”
  • Commit to prioritizing people’s needs: “I will put people’s health care needs first and I’m already formalizing the ways I gather input and work with community and business leaders to put effective solutions in place.”
  • Commit to addressing disparities and finding common ground: “The health care system, as it’s currently structured, isn’t working for far too many. I will work to address the lack of fairness and shared needs to build a health care system that works for all of us.”

Health Care During the COVID Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated the need for effective solutions that address both the immediate challenges and the long-term gaps in our health care systems to ensure people can access quality health care they can afford.  In the wake of COVID, policymakers have a critical opportunity to enact solutions to meet their constituents’ short- and long-term health care needs. The 2020 Health Care Legislative Candidate Guide provides candidates with public opinion data, state-specific health care information, key messages and ideas for your health care platform.

Download the Pocket Guide

For more information or to seek assistance, contact USofCare at [email protected].