Nevada’s split of state health, human services department launches

A key proposal from Gov. Joe Lombardo to streamline Nevada’s Health and Human services programs launched Tuesday, state officials announced.

The Nevada Health Authority launched this week. Lombardo, a first-term Republican governor, first proposed to split the state’s Department of Health and Human Services in two during his State of the State address in January.

“This new authority will help Nevada capitalize on its strong purchasing power when it comes to health insurance and get a better deal for taxpayers, all while offering better insurance options for eligible Nevadans,” Lombardo said in a news release. “The creation of the Nevada Health Authority is a critical step forward in our efforts to expand health care access across our state.”

Stacie Weeks, the state’s Medicaid administrator, will lead the Nevada Health Authority. Richard Whitley, director of the Department of Health and Human Services, remains at the helm of the newly reorganized Department of Human Services.

The authority will be responsible for managing state health care programs, including Medicaid, and the state’s health insurance exchange, and the public employees’ benefits program.

“The goals of this effort and the new Nevada Health Authority have been resoundingly clear since the beginning: unify similarly aligned agencies to gain more efficiencies in state government, increase the state’s purchasing power for health care, lower the costs of health care for Nevadans, bring more health care providers to the state, improve health care quality, and streamline eligibility for programs for Nevadans,” Weeks said in a statement. “I’m delighted to begin leading the authority and begin its important work in expanding access to quality and affordable health care.”

The bill creating the department’s split and detailing the Nevada Health Authority’s new role passed unanimously in both chambers during the legislative session. Lawmakers finished a 120-day session in Carson City last month.

A separate policy bill from the governor — proposing to address topics tied to the state’s provider shortage, cut down licensing red tape for certain professions and expand mental health services — died on the last day of session. Last-minute amendments in the Senate led to the body’s eight Republicans voting against the bill, and it did not receive a vote in the Assembly.

Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.