Input sought on health insurance exchange plan
Residents and business owners who want a say in how Nevada will enact provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will have a chance to speak up several times in the coming weeks.
The Nevada Division of Health Care Financing and Policy will host several public forums from Tuesday through May 25 around the state.
It will be a chance for residents and small-business owners to tell policymakers how best to craft health insurance exchanges for Nevada.
The exchanges are part of the federal health insurance reform law passed in 2010 that will offer subsidies to people who aren't eligible for existing public care and cannot get insurance through their employer.
"The exchanges will be structured so you can do one-stop shop. It is like Travelocity or Expedia for health insurance," said Bob Carey, senior adviser at Public Consulting Group, which is helping state officials create the Nevada exchange.
Carey said the exchange will be particularly important in Nevada because about 20 percent of the state's residents, or about 580,000 people, don't have health insurance.
Meetings in Las Vegas will be held Wednesday , April 27 and May 25, from 1-3 p.m. at Cashman Center. In Reno meetings will be on Tuesday , April 26, and May 24 at Grand Sierra Resort and Casino.
Owners of businesses with 50 or fewer employees, human resources professionals and medical office managers are encouraged to attend.
More information is available from the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services at (775) 687-8407 or (775) 687-8408.
