Rural Nevadans are paying thousands of dollars more in premiums each year than their urban counterparts due to continued unenrollment in health insurance, the government announced. Edited data The Nevada Department of Insurance (DOI) now allows residents to compare rates.
A 50-year-old Pershing County resident who is not eligible for federal subsidies would pay $778 a month in premiums for bronze-level health insurance. Cheapest and most popular option on state-based medical exchanges With highest deductible.
The same 50-year-old man with the same plan would pay $482.42 in Clark County, a difference of $3,557 per year. That’s before any copays or deductible requirements apply. Bronze plans can cost upwards of $7,000. According to KFF, a health policy research institute.
High premiums for rural Nevada residents are a ‘supply and demand situation’ Rural areas have fewer health care providers and fewer hospitals per capita. ” According to the DOI, the DOI regulates rates for individual and small group plans.
But state Sen. Robin Titus (R-Wellington), a family physician, said the revenue from those high premiums is not being transferred to health care providers.
“Let me be clear: rural health care providers will not be reimbursed twice the cost of seeing a patient,” Titus said. His district includes parts of Churchill, Douglas, Esmeralda, Lyon, Mineral and Nye counties.
Insurance premiums in rural America have historically been higher than in urban areas. according to Report by Urban Research Institute, Think tank based in Washington DC.
People who live in rural areas generally receive more federal aid than those who live in urban areas, but it only applies to people who are individually or individually below 250 percent of the federal poverty line. $36,450 in Nevada. Nearly three out of four people who enroll through the U.S. marketplace receive health benefits.
The DOI says the subsidy discrepancy is based on the difference between an individual’s expected contributions based on their income and the standard premiums available in their area.
The large price difference in health insurance premiums between rural and urban areas is due not only to the older population living there, but also to the increasing number of jobs that do not offer employer-provided health insurance, as well as low-income and charity-provided workers. This is due to limited access to qualified health care providers.According to the base care 2014 KFF overview.
of The Inflation Control Act (IRA) continued to expand eligibility requirements and strengthen market subsidies established under: American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Until 2025 Nevadans can help offset some of these costs by purchasing health insurance through a state-sponsored exchange on Nevada Health Link, the only place Nevada can receive federal subsidies. can be supplemented.
However, the Urban Institute report found that even with increases in subsidies to offset high premiums in rural areas, many people still live on high premiums or have incomes that exceed the amount of the subsidy cutoff. Security remains out of reach for many elderly people with disabilities.
States regulate insurance premiums based on four geographic areas. Area 1, which includes Clark and Nye counties, often has the lowest premiums, regardless of age or insurance plan coverage.
Area 2 consists of Washoe County, and Area 3 includes Carson City, Story, Douglas, and Ryan counties. Premiums in Area 2 and Area 3 are higher than in Clark and Nye counties, but lower than in Area 4 counties.
Area 4 represents the majority of the geographic area and the remaining counties in the state. Pershing, Humboldt, and Elko counties. In Humboldt County, without federal subsidies, a 30-year-old would pay $780 for a bronze-level health plan. In contrast, the monthly premium payment for a resident age 64 and older would be $1,311 for him.
“The Nevada Department of Insurance has been studying this urban and rural provider network phenomenon through network adequacy advisory meetings held throughout the year,” DOI PIO Elizabeth Martins said in an email to Current. mentioned in.
The Nevada Association of Health Insurers, which represents insurance brokers, agents and consultants in Nevada, and Health Insurance Plans of America, a national insurance company. Health insurance political advocacy groups and industry groups did not respond to multiple requests for comment on premium pricing in rural and urban areas.
