Swift, mixed reaction to health care law in Nevada
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) -- Reaction in Nevada to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding the Affordable Health Care Act is swift and mixed, with Democrats hailing the ruling and Republicans pledging to reform it.
Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval, who was critical of the law, says he may not agree with the decision but he respects the process. He says the implications for Medicaid costs are still unclear but the state will prepare to meet the mandates.
State officials have estimated the law would cost Nevada $575 million in the first five years as more people become eligible for Medicaid.
The Supreme Court said the expansion could proceed as long as the federal government does not threaten to withhold states' entire Medicaid allotment if they don't take part in the law's extension.
NEVADA
NUMBER OF UNINSURED: 563,000, or about 21 percent.
WHERE THE STATE STANDS NOW: The Nevada Legislature in 2011 passed a bill implementing the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange and creating a seven-member board to oversee it. Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval opposed the federal health care law as a candidate. He also allowed a private attorney appointed by former Gov. Jim Gibbons to continue representing Nevada in the lawsuit filed by more than two dozen states challenging the law. State officials estimate the Affordable Care Act would cost Nevada $575 million in the first five years as more people become eligible for Medicaid.
WHAT HAPPENS NOW: Sandoval's administration has planned to implement the law unless it is overturned. The governor's office has said administration officials would review the U.S. Supreme Court ruling before commenting on the state's next steps.
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