Nevada lawmakers discuss Affordable Care Act 13 years after passage

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - It has been 13 years since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, and on Monday Congresswomen Dina Titus and Susie Lee took joined Nevada Health Link COO Janel Davis, and Health Care Advocate Jarret Clark on a virtual panel to discuss how Nevadans have benefitted from Obamacare.

“I was elected in 2018,” said Lee “Many of us were elected in response to republicans voting 17 times to repeal the ACA.”

Supporters say the legislation did several things, including eliminating lifetime caps, expanded Medicaid, and secured protections for millions of people living with pre-existing conditions.

“Since the passage of the ACA we were one of the highest uninsured states,” said Davis. “We went from 30% to about 10%.”

Titus adds that given the makeup of Nevada, the ACA is particularly important given the amount of service industry workers who have money, but not employer sponsored health care coverage.

“We’ve always had a high percentage of people who aren’t covered by insurance,” Titus mentioned. “One of the highest rates in the country. People in the service industry or who work several part time jobs and don’t get benefits.”

We spoke to state Senate Minority Leader Heidi Seevers Gansert to get the Republican perspective on the ACA.

“What we really need to do now is to make sure we have access to care,” Gansert mentioned.

Gansert did not say it should be repealed, but rather emphasized the need for more health care professionals and the importance of keeping them in Nevada after graduation.

“My caucus is working on a number of bills,” she explained. “One is a compact for physical therapists. there is another bill out there to expand the number of nurses we have in the state. we’ve also talked about money to expand out nursing program as well as behavioral health.”

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