Nevada governor wants to explore dropping Medicaid

By The Associated Press
Friday, January 15, 2010 at 7:21 a.m.

CARSON CITY, Nev.— Gov. Jim Gibbons is considering pulling Nevada out of the federal Medicaid health care program.

A spokesman for the Republican governor said Thursday that because of the bad economy, the state can no longer cover costs for the program that provides free health care to more than 233,000 Nevadans.

Gibbons spokesman Daniel Burns says the state would be on the hook for crippling payments if Congress approves a pending health care bill.

The federal government provides most Medicaid funding.

Under the health care plan being considered by a Senate-House conference committee, officials say Nevada would pay an $613 million more between 2014 and 2019. That would provide health care through Medicaid for another 328,000 people.

Nevada wouldn't have additional Medicaid costs in the three years before 2014.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010 ... -medicaid/