Harris wants to do even more to make healthcare more accessible and affordable in Nevada. Here’s what you need to know.

Health care is more accessible and affordable for Nevadans thanks to Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking votes on two bills. If elected president, she wants to take on the medical debt crisis and ensure every American, regardless of geography or income, can access quality care. 

Nevadans can now find health care coverage easier to get and more affordable to pay for, thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which reduced costs for prescription drugs, made vaccines free for seniors, and implemented a cap on insulin prices. Now, as she runs for president, Harris wants to lower drug costs for all Americans and build off the successes of the Biden-Harris administration. 

For instance: The Inflation Reduction Act implemented a $35 monthly cap on insulin for Medicare recipients and beginning in 2025, the law is set to implement a $2,000 cap on Medicare recipients’ annual out-of-pocket prescription drug costs.

Harris wants to expand the $35 monthly insulin cap and the $2,000 annual cap on out-of-pocket drug costs so that it applies to all Americans–not just seniors on Medicare. She’s also proposed accelerating Medicare’s drug negotiations and broadening the number of drugs eligible to be negotiated.

Healthcare has long been a high priority for Harris, who cast the tie-breaking votes on both the American Rescue Plan and Inflation Reduction Act, ensuring they became law. Throughout her career, she has taken on pharmaceutical companies and other large corporate interests. 

“When I was attorney general of California, I met with countless families who were often quietly suffering because they or a loved one could not afford the medication they needed and were prescribed,” Harris said in a speech last year. “I investigated drugmakers that tried to stop production of cheaper, generic versions of their drugs, and we held them accountable … every person, not just the wealthy or well-connected, [will have] the opportunity to thrive and can live a life of dignity after they retire.”

Most recently, Harris has called for eliminating medical debt for millions of Americans and finalizing a proposed federal rule that would ban unpaid medical bills from affecting patients’ credit scores. Barring medical bills from appearing on credit reports would help tens of millions of Americans who have medical debt by eliminating information that can depress their scores, and therefore make it more difficult for them to get a job, rent an apartment, or secure a car loan.

Direct benefits for Nevada

While Harris’ plans would expand the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act, the law — which passed in 2022 despite fierce opposition from Congressional Republicans — has already helped Nevadans by:

• Capping insulin at $35 per month for some 22,000 Nevada Medicare enrollees who rely on that medication;
• Making shingles, RSV, and other recommended adult vaccines free, allowing 90,000 Nevada Medicare enrollees to receive a vaccine in 2023;
• Capping out-of-pocket drug costs for Medicare Part D enrollees starting next year, which will save 143,000 Nevadans an average of $434 per year;
• Extending Affordable Care Act subsidies for Nevadans, allowing some 21,000 residents to keep their health insurance coverage; 
• Expanding the “Extra Help” subsidy program, moving about 4,000 low-income Part D enrollees in 2020 from partial to full benefits.

Learn more about Nevada health care coverage for you and your family at https://dhhs.nv.gov/find_assistance/medical_assistance/. 

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Since day one, our goal here at The Nevadan / El Nevadense has always been to empower people across the state with fact-based news and information. We believe that when people are armed with knowledge about what's happening in their local, state, and federal governments—including who is working on their behalf and who is actively trying to block efforts aimed at improving the daily lives of Nevada families—they will be inspired to become civically engaged.

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