Lowering of laws and regulations prescription drug costsgive a long-term replacement teacher insuranceand protect doctors. Providing gender-affirming care all Governor Joe Lombardo has now vetoed Congress. A total of 12 health care bills were among the 75 bills the governor rejected.
The greatest veto of the health care bill was Senate Bill 419, called the HOPE Act by its proponents. Highlighted as a priority for the Latino legislative group and sponsored by its chair, Sen. Fabian Donate (D., Las Vegas), the bill, as filed, expands coverage of Nevada Medicaid to: It will be. Eligible Illegal Immigrant for the program. Amended to provide coverage for prenatal and maternity services also to undocumented immigrants who are illegitimately pregnant, utilizing provisions permitted by the Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
In his vetoed message, Lombardo said the state’s Office of Health Financing, which oversees Nevada Medicaid and CHIP, “doesn’t have enough resources to implement this new service in the next two years. ‘ said. He noted that “at least six bills” have passed Congress to expand Medicaid coverage.
After being vetoed the day before the bill automatically passed into law, Donate issued a statement vowing to move forward with the governor’s administration to find a bipartisan solution. “
“We will continue to work tirelessly until that happens.” treated equally There, everyone has the right to life, no matter who they are or where they come from,” his statement concluded.
The health bills Lombardo has vetoed include:
- AB11: codified the nation long-standing habit Prohibit corporate hospitals and hospital systems from hiring doctors directly.
- AB201: called on the Department of Health and Human Services to provide monitoring and recommendations for children’s behavioral health;
- AB251: Pharmacies were required to provide prescription drugs in the 10 most commonly spoken languages in the state.
- AB250: drug price cuts negotiated through the Federal Inflation Reduction Act and We’ve extended these price caps to all Nevadansincluding those not enrolled in Medicare.
- AB265: Established a statewide mental health consortium and subcommittee on children’s mental health.
- AB282: Offer $450 Monthly health insurance benefits for long-term replacement teachers who work 30 or more consecutive days.
- AB383: ensured that all Nevadans have the right to contraception.
- AB439: the insurance company The Arbitration Clause is not binding on the Insured making a claim.
- SB302: Stopped licensing boards from prosecuting medical professionals who provide gender-affirming care.
- SB429: Requires certain new or expanded companies to provide family and medical leave to employees to qualify for certain tax reliefwhich contained a veto message.
- SB419: This law, called the HOPE Act, required insurance companies and medical institutions to provide patient documents and information electronically, and provided prenatal and maternity security to pregnant people regardless of immigration status. .
- SB239: legalized the use of drugs designed to end the lives of terminally ill patients.
Because the vetoes were issued after the regular legislative session, four of the vetoed health care bills will be returned to Congress in 2025, where they can be overturned by a two-thirds majority. This includes the HOPE Act.
Other veto bills had already been returned to Congress and no further action was taken. Overriding vetoes is unusual in the Nevada Legislature. Democrats have an overwhelming majority in Congress but are one short in the Senate, so the Republicans must agree to invalidate the governor.
Advocates’ reaction
Supporters of the vetoed bill rallied over medical concerns stemming from years of the COVID-19 pandemic, which worsened mental and physical health, and the ongoing health care affordability crisis in the United States. , Opioid epidemic As more Nevadans expressed concern, prescription drug costs and I’m having trouble finding a doctor who can treat me.
“Governor Lombardo’s veto of this bill is a slap in the face for patients and people across the state struggling to pay for the prescriptions they need to live.” Dr. Harpreet Tsui, a Henderson, Nevada, internist and leader of the Health Care Protection Board, said in a press release responding to the veto of the Prescription Drug Cap Act (AB 250). “Too many Nevadans are suffering needlessly and making impossible choices between paying for medicine and getting food, Governor Lombardo will work with Congress to fix a broken status quo. Opportunity, doctors are deeply disappointed that Mr. Lombardo appears to have chosen partisan politics and pharmaceutical interests over the health of Nevada residents.”
In his vetoed message, Lombardo said the substitute teacher health benefits bill (AB 282) does not provide benefits for long-term substitute teachers at charter schools, which is a burden on school districts.
“By vetoing the bill, which received bipartisan support, Governor Lombardo further reinforced the idea that his priority is private school vouchers. Public school substitute teachers should not be exposed to political maneuvering or risk bankruptcy from medical debt. ” Attar Hasheebullah, director of the ACLU in Nevada, said in a press release.
In a message vetoing the creation of a statewide mental health consortium (AB 265), Mr. Lombardo touched on his priority of government efficiency, which he called “unnecessary levels of bureaucracy,” he said.
of letter of veto That sentiment was reflected in a bill that would require paid family medical leave for tax-cut companies.
But the bill’s provisions were enacted into law with Democratic support. Attached as a fix This is in response to a bill that approved subsidies for Athletics baseball stadiums passed by a special assembly Mr. Lombardo convened after a regular session.
Lombardo became the first U.S. governor to veto a dying health care bill.California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Mexico, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, DC are all Licensed for medical assistance in the event of death.
“His decision to veto this bill effectively puts him in the office of terminally ill patients, interfering in their decisions about end-of-life care, and causing excruciating suffering. It prevents them from dying,” said Sarah Munds of Nevada. Compassion & Choices Action Network campaign director, press release. “He vetoed the bill without speaking to the people the bill would have immediate impact or meeting with policy experts who have worked on the issue for decades.”
Lombardo now holds the record for the most vetoes by a Nevada governor in a single legislature. His 75 vetoes far surpass the record 49 set by Republican Governor Jim Gibbons in 2009.
“The people of Nevadans have elected me to defend and serve their state, including protecting them from harmful and dangerous laws,” Lombardo said in a press release, adding that he has the right to sign or veto all pending legislation. announced it was launched. “So, while I am proud that Congress passed this bill, I am also confident in my decision to veto a bill that does not benefit all Nevadans.”
