Q&A on the News

Q: Wasn’t Nevada awarded some sort of waiver so that it did not have to abide by Obamacare rules? Wouldn’t that be one big reason the congressman from Nevada doesn’t want the new health care bill to pass? —Glenda Bell, Atlanta

A: Before former President Barack Obama’s health care law passed, then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) convinced then-Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) to ensure the federal government paid 100 percent of the new costs associated with expanding Medicaid in Nevada.

After Obamacare became law, the Obama administration granted Nevada a statewide waiver from certain implementation requirements, arguing that forcing those requirements “may lead to the destabilization of the individual market,” the Las Vegas Sun reported in May 2011.

Then Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), whose decision to withhold his support earlier this week effectively killed the Senate’s most recent “repeal and replace” bill, said in a 2011 statement that the need for such a waiver indicated why Obamacare “will not work for Nevada.”

In 2012, Nevada’s Republican governor, Brian Sandoval, expanded Medicaid to include an additional 200,000 Nevadans. Sandoval is concerned about cuts to Medicaid in the recent Republican health care bills, and CNN reported July 17 that Heller has tied his support to Sandoval’s.

On his Senate website discussing an earlier “repeal and replace” effort, Heller expresses support for repealing Obamacare, but also said he has concerns about the impact that proposed changes to Medicaid will have on Nevada. When asked about future Republican health care bills on July 18, Heller told CNN he would not support one that’s “not good for the state of Nevada.” Fast Copy News Service wrote this column; Keith Still contributed. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).