Rep. Susie Lee on Nevada Ranking Second to Last in the Nation on Health Care Access and Affordability

Washington, DC⁠— A new report out today in The Nevada Independent ranks Nevada second to last in health care access and affordability, according to a recent study by the Commonwealth Fund. The state found itself near the bottom of the list in nearly every health care metric, highlighting the struggles that Nevadans are having to access quality, affordable health care and underscoring the need for Congress to act.

Just last week, Reps. Susie Lee (D-NV) and Steve Watkins (R-KS) introduced the Rural and Underserved Residencies to Attract Long-term (RURAL) Physicians Act. This legislation would allow student loan borrowers to qualify for interest-free deferment throughout serving in a medical or dental internship or residency if the internship or residency is served in a medically underserved area, specifically southern Nevada.

Rep. Lee released the following statement about the study:

"This study shows what many Nevadans already know--that our government is not doing enough to provide access to quality, affordable health care for every Nevadan. Across the board, the barriers to access quality health care in our state are so high, it creates a snowball effect for families who have to worry about not just their health care, but their children's care, medication, doctor visits, and so on--none of which are easily available to people in Nevada. It's no doubt an uphill battle, but we can take concrete steps towards lowering costs and increasing accessibility for health care in our state. That starts with protecting coverage for pre-existing conditions, stabilizing the individual market, addressing the doctor shortage crisis, and lowering health care costs like prescription drugs."

The Nevada Independent: Nevada ranks near last in overall health care despite gains in number of insured adults, children

• The report scored the Silver State at 50th for access and affordability, 51st for prevention and treatment, 38th for avoidable hospital use and cost and 39th for the healthiness of its residents' lifestyles. The only category in which the state outperformed the national average was in health care disparities — the gap between the level of care received between lower- and higher-income residents — at 24th.
  

• The report noted that cost barriers to accessing health care are also on the rise, with an increasing share of adults nationally skipping needed health care because of its price.
  

• But Nevada ranked last (51st) in the nation in three categories — adults without all recommended vaccines, adults without a usual source of care, and children without a primary care doctor and effective care coordination — and near last (50th) in several others, including adults with an untreated mental illness, skilled nursing facility patients with a hospital readmission and colorectal cancer deaths.