More than 37% of Nevada residents younger than age 65 were uninsured at some point in 2007 and 2008, according to a study
released in March by Families USA.
More than 80% of those uninsured were from working class families. In addition, the study reports blacks, Hispanics and other
minorities are more likely to be uninsured than whites because many minorities work for small businesses that do not provide
healthcare coverage or work part time and do not qualify for benefits.
DUAL ELIGIBLES LOSE OPTIONS
The pool of Medicare Part D drug plans serving low-income seniors is shrinking, and seniors in Nevada are being particularly
hard hit. Nationwide, only 308 plans offer stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs) to low-income beneficiaries, according
to a study by Avalere Health, a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm—almost 200 fewer than in 2008. As plans withdraw from the market, dual eligibles are automatically reassigned to other plans. Avalere estimated the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services reassigned 1.3 million beneficiaries to new drug plans for 2009.
That's up from 1.2 million reassigned in 2008 and 250,000 who were reassigned in 2007, according to the study.
Of all the states, Nevada has been the hardest hit. Nevada offers only one auto-enrollment PDP. Arizona has the second fewest
options, with two plans available for low-income residents and four other states—Florida, Hawaii, Maine and New Hampshire—each
have five or fewer PDPs available. With 16 auto-enrollment PDPs, Wisconsin offers the most choice.
CONSUMER SITE LAUNCHED
A state Web site unveiled in March will enable Nevada residents to compare hospitals on a variety of factors, including diagnoses,
costs and lengths of stay. Developed by the University of Nevada Las Vegas, NevadaCompareCare.Net, reflects a collaborative
to make health data more transparent.
The site includes hospitals' and ambulatory surgery centers' number of cases per diagnosis, costs per case and average lengths
of stay. It is being initially launched with hospital inpatient data from 2005 through 2007. Outpatient data, quality indicator
reports and more will be added in the coming months.
In provider news, the Nevada Assembly voted in April to pass legislation that would remove a $350,000 cap on jury awards for
non-economic damages in medical liability lawsuits. The cap was approved by voters in 2004 after concern was raised that higher
medical malpractice insurance premiums were driving some doctors out of the state.
The bill would permit unlimited damages for instances of gross negligence and would give patients an additional 12 months
to decide if they want to file a lawsuit.
MHE Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; Urban Institute; Kaiser Family Foundation; U.S. Census Bureau; The
Commonwealth Fund; National Center for Health Statistics
