skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Reid Warned of “Ticking Time Bomb” in Senate Health Care Reform

play audio
Play

Tuesday, January 12, 2010   

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - More than 50 leaders and organizations in his home state sent a letter late Monday to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), asking him to use his influence to make sure Congress produces a health care package that is affordable to people who are now uninsured. In their view, the Senate version of the bill contains a "ticking time bomb," with mandates that many Nevadans purchase health insurance they could not afford to access or to use.

Jon Sasser, chair of the Nevada Lawyers for Progressive Policy, says a family of four that earns $33,000 per year would pay an annual premium of $1,500 under the Senate plan, but only $1,000 under the House plan. The Senate version also would require higher out-of-pocket expenses, says Sasser.

"It would be tragic if the final bill makes uninsured people buy health insurance they can't afford, either to purchase or to use; and that's our fear in terms of the Senate version of the bill. "

The latest poll numbers from the Las Vegas Review Journal show 66 percent of Democrats approve of Reid's efforts to get health care reform passed. But statewide, it's a different story, with only 30 percent approving of Reid's efforts, while 60 percent disapprove.

Monday's letter thanks Reid for his leadership on health care reform, crediting him for improving the bill. However, Sasser says when it comes to out-of-pocket medical expenses, Nevadans will need a little more help.

"A single individual making about $22,000 a year would receive coverage with a deductible of about $1,500 under the Senate bill, and it'd only be $600 under the House bill. "

The inequities in the Senate bill are not well known, he adds, calling them a "ticking time bomb."

"This issue has not gotten the same press as other issues, such as the "public option." When it actually begins to hit the streets, then I think there will be a lot of anger. "

The Senate bill is HR 3590 and the House's is HR 3200.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …


More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social media platform X temporarily shutdown searches of "Taylor Swift" following the release of explicit deepfake images in early 2024. (Mdv Edwards/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021