2007 Session
The 74th Session of the Nevada Legislature began February 5, 2007.
 
As of mid-January, 2007, over 1,000 bill draft requests had been submitted to the Legislative Counsel Bureau for processing.  Approximately 125 of these were related to health care coverage and affordability issues.

BILLS OF INTEREST
(* AB refers to an Assembly Bill;  SB to a Senate Bill)

AB 146:  This bill would have created a website on the Internet to provide
information concerning the charges imposed and the quality of health care provided by the hospitals in Nevada. 
Prime sponsor:  Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie
Hearing history:  On Feb. 26, the sponsor demonstrated websites from states that compared quality and others that compared pricing on major hospital procedures.  The bill was amended to include surgical centers for ambulatory patients and passed as amended on April 13.  It was heard in Assembly Committee on Ways and Means on May 4.  No action taken.  Funding forestablishing programs and development of a website for "health care information" about hospitals and surgical centers was incorporated into AB 629 (section 9) which passed both houses June 4.

URL:  http://www.leg.state.nv.us/74th/Reports/history.cfm?ID=354

AB 168:  This bill would provide $30 million in state subsidies to expand health care coverage to 12,000 people. 6,000 of these would be small business employees who do not have children.  Workers would receive $100-per-month subsidies on their insurance copayments.The $30 million is not included in Governor Gibbons' Executive Budget.
Prime Sponsor:  Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley
Hearing history:  Speaker Buckley presented the bill Feb. 26 to the Assembly Health Committee.  It would close gaps in state-subsidized health programs that were passed during the 2005 session.  The  state has been in negotiations with the federal government for the past two years and has just received approval to begin marketing the 2005 programs.  They predict a much shorter approval process for the enhancements included in AB 168.  On March 21, the bill was amended and passed by the committee.  It is eligible for exemption.  It was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means and heard on May 8.  No action taken.  Although AB 168 died in committee, $1,200,000 was put into AB 629 (section 13) for subsidies up to $100 per month.  AB629 passed both houses June 4.
URL:  http://www.leg.state.nv.us/74th/Reports/history.cfm?ID=386

AB 232:  This bill would require that consumers have access to information regarding the prices that pharmacies charge the uninsured for common prescription drugs.
Prime Sponsor: Assemblywoman Leslie
Hearing history:  March 5 testimony presented a Florida state sponsored website that tells consumers what pharmacies charge uninsured customers for commonly prescribed drugs.  Thus consumers can compare prices.  The site is at www.myfloridarx.com.  Amended 3 times, AB 232 passed both houses and was sent to the Governor June 4. Also, language appropriating the sum of $160,000 for creation of a website to provide information to consumers relating to pharmacies and the prices of commonly prescribed prescription drugswas included in AB 629 (section 10) which passed both houses June 4.

URL:  http://www.leg.state.nv.us/74th/Reports/history.cfm?DocumentType=1&BillNo=232

AB 479:  This bill would change the definition of a dependent child to refer to a child to age 28 for the purposes of health care coverage under the parents' policy.  It was heard on April 2 in Assembly Commerce and Labor.  Similar laws exist in 10 other states and the purpose is to increase the number of adult children who are insured.  Business spokesmen stated concerns that the language did not specify payment is the responsibility of the parent or the child, and needed to build in protections against this benefit becoming a subject for collective bargaining.    This bill did not pass out of committee before the April 13 deadline.  Prime Sponsors:  Assemblymen Ohrenschall, Segerblom, and Parks.

URL:  http://www.leg.state.nv.us/74th/reports/history.cfm?ID=1016

SB 113:  This bill would require health insurers to cover annual screenings for prostate cancer.
Prime Sponsors:  Senator Bob Coffin, Assemblyman Parks, Assemblyman Horne
Hearing History:  On Feb. 27, Nevadans for Affordable Healthcare testified that we opposed this bill because it mandates what an insurance policy has to include.  Mandated benefits increase premiums.  NAHC reminded legislators that SB 113 will not affect the employees of large employers or unions. It will only impact small groups and individuals who are already having problems affording the premiums they now have.  Others testified in opposition to the bill because it dictates exactly what tests the doctor must perform.  There's no flexibility when you put language into state statute which doesn't allow for advances in medical technology, new tests, new scientific evidence.  Senator Heck called the Committee's attention to the fact that this bill also had no effect on the insurance coverage that the state's Medicaid recipients receive.  No action was taken.  On April 9, the committee amended the bill and passed it as amended.  The bill was passed by the Senate as amended on April 23.  The bill died in Assembly Commerce and Labor, but coverage of prostate cancer screening was incorporated into SB 409 which passed both houses.

URL:  http://www.leg.state.nv.us/74th/Reports/history.cfm?ID=302

SB 262:  This bill proposes a business tax rebate to employers who contribute to employee health savings accounts.
Prime Sponsor:  Senator Beers, et al
Hearing history: This bill was heard March 22 and April 10 in Senate Taxation.  No action was taken.  This is one of several bills proposing business tax rebates. It will become a matter of priorities, and will also depend upon whether there is any room in the budget to make rebates feasible.  Newspaper reports on April 3 were not encouraging: 
"We can't be promising anybody money back," said Ways and Means Chairman Morse Arberry, D-Las Vegas. "We've got about $112 million in cuts to be made."  No action was taken before the April 13 deadline, and the bill died in committee.

URL:  http://www.leg.state.nv.us/74th/Reports/history.cfm?ID=632

SB 266:  Requires HIV testing for pregnant women and newborn children. The final version, after 3 amendments, requires a provider of health care to ensure that, before a woman or newborn child receives any test set forth in this bill, the woman or the parent or legal guardian of the newborn child receives a pamphlet containing information about the human immunodeficiency virus, the test offered pursuant to this bill, the right to refuse the test and other relevant information.  It  was adopted by b oth houses June 4.  Prime Sponsor:  Senator Horsford.

URL:  http://www.leg.state.nv.us/74th/reports/history.cfm?ID=644

SB 403:  This bill establishes the requirements for large guaranteed associations to be covered by group health insurance.  As amended, it was approved by both houses and sent to the Governor for his signature.  The final version states that an insurer may offer a policy of group health insurance to a guaranteed association if the policy provides coverage for 200 or more members, employees of members or employees of the guaranteed association or their dependents.

“Guaranteed association” means an association which:

   Prime Sponsor:  Senator Washington.

URL:  http://www.leg.state.nv.us/74th/reports/history.cfm?ID=976

SB 409:  This bill would mandate insurance plans cover the cervical cancer vaccine.  It was heard April 3 in Senate Commerce and Labor.  The bill would not mandate the vaccination, and women would have the choice of being vaccinated or not.  Its purpose is to make sure the vaccine is available and affordable for those who want it.  Those questioning whether or not the bill would accomplish this goal pointed out that 95% of the health plans in NV already cover the vaccine.  The problem is for women working for self-insured plans which don't cover it, or who depend upon public health services which don't cover it.  To reach these women would require changes to the public health policies.  NAHC cautioned that bills like this one will only affect the smallest businesses who have to purchase policies on the open market.  And, it will make those policies more expensive.  It will not have any affect on large self-insured businessses or their employees.  The bill was passed by the committee on April 9.  It was passed by the Senate April 13, but was reconsidered and amended to exempt self-funded local governments.  It was passed as amended by the Senate on April 19.  It was amended by Assembly Commerce and Labor to bring self-funded local government entities back into the bill and to include prostate cancer screening.  It passed the Assembly May 25 and was sent back to the Senate.  The Senate concurred with the Assembly amendment and the bill was sent to the Governor for his signature.   Primary Sponsor:  Titus.

Las Vegas Review Journal, June 5:  CERVICAL CANCER VACCINE: Both houses supported a bill that will require some insurance providers to make a cervical cancer vaccine available to young women. All three doctors in the Legislature opposed the bill, partly because the vaccine is new and has not been tested for a long time. The bill also requires insurance companies to provide prostate cancer testing for men.

URL:  http://www.leg.state.nv.us/74th/reports/history.cfm?ID=982

General Information:
Go to http://www.leg.state.nv.us/74th/120dayCalendar.pdf
to see the Assembly and Senate deadlines for passing bills (i.e. out of committee, out of the first house, etc.).