Commissioner Alexis Hill and Advocates Highlight Rising Healthcare Costs
NEVADA - Today, Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill and others spoke about rising healthcare costs amid an affordability crisis facing hardworking Nevadans. Last year, Nevada Health Link plan rates rose 27%, driven by inflation and Congressional Republicans refusing to extend federal subsidies that helped lower plan rates for Nevadans. According to Nevada Health Link, Nevadans can expect an average rate increase of 17% for 2027 coverage. These increases are unsustainable for hardworking Nevadans already facing significant increases in grocery, gas, and housing prices. Governor Lombardo has refused to take action to lower costs for Nevadans. During his tenure, he has vetoed record numbers of critical bills, including healthcare bills that would have helped lower costs. Republican backed Medicaid cuts will also devastate Nevadans, with an estimated 70K losing coverage in the next year. Lombardo refused to develop a contingency plan to address the Medicaid cuts, meaning thousands of hardworking Nevadans will lose healthcare coverage, further straining Nevada's healthcare system.
Alexis Hill, Washoe County Commissioner, issued the following statement:
“H.R. 1, “the One Big Beautiful Bill Act” will affect our entire state and it has been affecting our community since President Trump got elected. We are seeing over 100,000 Nevadans being dropped off healthcare plans. ACA plans since last cycle have doubled in cost because there are no subsidies in H.R. 1 and this cycle we are estimating a 17% increase in your healthcare, and who does this effect? This doesn’t just affect folks who don’t work, it affects foster children in our county, disabled and senior community members who don’t have access to medicaid, we have seen deep cuts for people applying for medicaid. In Washoe County we are the social safety net of our county and it is up to us to take care of people. These cuts are unacceptable and we should demand more, and that is why we are speaking out today. Nevadans deserve better, Nevadans deserve change and better leadership”
Acacia Leibka, Content Creator, issued the following statement:
“In this country and in this state, health is treated like a luxury, not a right. When any one of us benefits from smart policy, we all benefit. Empathy can be difficult to learn, it requires curiosity and asking “why”. And curiosity is fueled when we can listen. But we need to have the bandwidth to be curious, listen, and ask why. When our health and psychological safety are threatened, our entire ecosystem is threatened, and we retreat, and lash out. I incurred over $20,000 worth of medical debt. Why? Because I needed treatment for something I didn’t ask for. Something I was born with. I didn’t do anything “wrong”; I existed. And existing became a burden because I was born in a place where if you have an ailment and you need help, you are punished for it. When we allow algorithms, automated decision-making systems that are optimized for corporate efficiency and profit maximization, to determine basic human entitlements, we further reduce complex humans to data points, and continue to strip humans of their worth. True understanding begins with recognizing that we do not automatically know what another person is experiencing. If we band together, smash the system, put focus on preventative care access and education, remove these for-profit systems that support the rich getting richer, we the people, win.”
Katie Sanchez , Digital Organizer with Battle Born Progress, issued the following statement:
“In Reno, finding a specialist can mean waiting months for an appointment. Our primary care providers are stretched thin, trying to manage complicated conditions, leading to preventative care getting pushed aside and patients falling through the cracks. This isn’t just my experience. It’s a problem affecting people across Nevada, from our major cities to our rural communities. Whether you’re struggling to find a specialist close to home or trying to afford the care available to you, the result is the same: people go without the care they need. I’m calling on our governor, our state legislators, and the Trump administration to take meaningful action. We don’t need ballrooms, we need affordable prescriptions. We don’t need wars, we need accessible providers. We don’t need biased political ads, we need protections for people who rely on Medicaid and marketplace coverage, and investments that translate into shorter wait times and more care available close to home.”
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