Medicaid recipients would get Ticket to Work

Friday, Feb. 28, 2003 | 10:06 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn's budget includes about $200,000 for Ticket to Work, a program that allows disabled people to continue to maintain Medicaid coverage after getting a job.

The funding for the program is a tiny portion of the $2 billion Medicaid budget, but the program is drawing big applause from the disabled community.

Robin Renshaw, who receives Social Security disability payments and is a substitute teacher for the Clark County School District, told the Senate-Assembly budget committee he can work only two days a week. If he works more, he will lose his Medicaid medical coverage.

"I speak for thousands of disabled who are in the same circumstances," Renshaw told the committee. "Many disabled people want to go to work but fear the loss of benefits."

Jon Sasser, who represents three nonprofit civil legal service programs, said the program "is not only the right thing to do in terms of the quality of life of these individuals, it also makes a large contribution to our state's economy by allowing people to lead productive, working lives."

He said the budget will allow people with disabilities earning up to $699 per month to return to work without losing Medicaid. Depending on income, however, a disabled person might have to pay a premium to remain on Medicaid.

Alice Thomas of Las Vegas told the committee that when she went to work she lost her health coverage and it was several months before she gained insurance coverage from her employers. She said it would have made a difference if she were able to pay the Medicaid premium and continue coverage for herself and her two children.

Despite the $2 billion budget, Nevada ranks last in the nation in spending per person in Medicaid. In 2001, the average expenditure was $327 per person compared to the United States average of $753. And Nevada spent $45 less per person than the state that precedes it on the list, its neighbor Utah.