Senate Bill No. 239–Committee on Human Resources
and Facilities

 

(On Behalf of Department of Administration—Budget Division)

 

February 23, 2001

____________

 

Referred to Committee on Human Resources and Facilities

 

SUMMARY—Makes various changes concerning provision of prescription drugs and pharmaceutical services for senior citizens. (BDR 40‑1318)

 

FISCAL NOTE:            Effect on Local Government: No.

                                    Effect on the State: No.

 

~

 

EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

 

AN ACT relating to public health; requiring the department of human resources to arrange for the availability of a basic policy of health insurance for each senior citizen who participates in the program of subsidies for the provision of prescription drugs and pharmaceutical services to senior citizens; authorizing the department of human resources to arrange for the availability of more than one type of policy of health insurance for senior citizens who participate in the program; increasing the maximum allowable subsidies for senior citizens who participate in the program; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN

SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

1-1    Section 1. NRS 439.665 is hereby amended to read as follows:

1-2    439.665  1.  The department shall enter into contracts with private

1-3  insurers who transact health insurance in this state to arrange for the

1-4  availability, at a reasonable cost, of policies of health insurance that

1-5  provide coverage to senior citizens for prescription drugs and

1-6  pharmaceutical services. In arranging for the availability of such policies

1-7  of health insurance, the department:

1-8    (a) Shall arrange for the availability of a basic policy of health

1-9  insurance that provides such coverage; and

1-10    (b) May arrange for the availability of more than one type of policy of

1-11  health insurance that provides such coverage.

1-12    2.  Within the limits of the money available for this purpose in the fund

1-13  for a healthy Nevada, a senior citizen who is not eligible for Medicaid and

1-14  who purchases [a] any policy of health insurance that is made available

1-15  pursuant to subsection 1 is entitled to an annual grant from the trust fund to

2-1  subsidize all or a portion of the cost of that insurance if he has been

2-2  domiciled in this state for at least 1 year immediately preceding the date of

2-3  his application and his household income is within one of the income

2-4  ranges for which grants are provided pursuant to this [subsection] section.

2-5    3.  A senior citizen described in subsection 2 who purchases the basic

2-6  policy of health insurance is entitled to an annual grant to the extent

2-7  determined by the percentage shown opposite his household income on the

2-8  following schedule:

2-9                                                   Percent of

2-10  Amount of Household    Cost of Insurance Allowable

2-11  Income Is Over   But Not Overas a Subsidy

2-12           $0           —$12,700         [90] 100

2-13     12,700           —   14,800           [80] 90

2-14     14,800           —   17,000           [50] 80

2-15     17,000           —   19,100           [25] 50

2-16     19,100           —   21,500           [10] 25

2-17    [3.] 4. The amount of any subsidy granted pursuant to this section

2-18  [must] :

2-19    (a) Must not exceed the annual cost of the basic policy of health

2-20  insurance that provides coverage for prescription drugs and pharmaceutical

2-21  services [or $480 per year, whichever is less.] ; and

2-22    (b) Must be calculated as if the senior citizen for whom the subsidy is

2-23  provided had purchased the basic policy of health insurance, regardless

2-24  of the type of policy that the senior citizen actually purchased.

2-25    Sec. 2.  This act becomes effective upon passage and approval.

 

2-26  H