KSNV: Nevada lawmakers raise alarm on potential loss of billions from federal Medicaid cuts

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by News 3 Staff

FILE: Beds are pictured inside a Las Vegas hospital. (Photo: Linda Q. Media Productions)

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Nevada lawmakers are raising the alarm about potential cuts to Medicaid, saying they could cost the state billions of dollars in healthcare coverage and services.

A budget blueprint approved by Congressional Republicans this week would slash $880 billion over a decade from federal health and energy programs.

President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson insist they won't cut entitlement benefits, but experts say those targeted spending cuts won't be possible without rollbacks to programs like Medicaid, which covers nearly 800,000 people in the Nevada.

The health policy research firm KFF found that if federal matching funding is taken away, Nevada could be responsible for $6.7 billion in coverage.

If cuts go into effect, that could mean just over 300,000 Nevada residents lose coverage, or 42% of those enrolled, including children, seniors, people with disabilities and low-income workers.

Democratic state lawmakers said the congressional budget cuts cut be dire for locals who need Medicaid.

Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro said Nevada would be the third-hardest hit state, rural hospitals would be severely affected, and neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) could face elimination.

"If these cuts pass, we'd be at real risk of losing hospitals and losing providers," Cannizzaro said at a press conference in Carson City on Wednesday.

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo says he is working with the White House and Republicans in Congress to safeguard essential Medicaid services.

He highlighted the need to keep expansion population funding and the safe harbor for provider taxes for hospitals, and said limiting funding with a per capita cap model could result in a loss of up to $3.15 billion in federal funds for the state over the next two years.

"Nevada remains committed to being a constructive partner in efforts to ensure fiscal responsibility at the federal level, but federal funding cuts to essential programs alone will not solve Washington's spending problem or the rising cost of health care," Lombardo, a Republican, wrote in a letter addressed to state lawmakers.

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