State gets grant to design health care acquisition system

CARSON CITY -- The state has received a $4 million federal grant to design a system that will help uninsured Nevadans shop for health insurance.

Charles Duarte, administrator of the Division of Health Care Finance and Policy, said Friday his agency will seek another grant in December of up to $30 million to carry out provisions of the Affordable Care Act passed by Congress last year. The money will be used to create a state agency, find office space and staff and develop the infrastructure needed to implement the health care law by 2014.

Under a bill passed by the Legislature, Nevada will establish the Silver State Insurance Exchange, a system to allow people to see what types and prices of health insurances private companies offer.

Nevada previously received a $1 million grant to start planning for health care reform.

"Now we are moving toward implementation," Duarte said.

A federal appeals court in Atlanta recently declared the health care law's mandate to require people to buy insurance unconstitutional. Nevada was one of the 26 states that had filed a lawsuit in the Atlanta court to challenge the law. But a separate appeals court has upheld the law.

The U.S. Supreme Court could make ruling on the health care law by next year before it goes into full effect in 2014.

"Depending on what happens with the law, we will do our best to make it happen," Duarte said.

The Legislature's Interim Finance Committee formally must accept the $4 million before the state spends any money. The committee meets Aug. 31.

Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900.