Health and welfare top Legislature’s agenda

Thursday, Jan. 27, 2005 | 10:55 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Nevada is at the "bottom of the barrel" in providing health and welfare services to its citizens, state Human Resources Director Mike Willden told the legislative budget committees Wednesday.

Willden said that's why Gov. Kenny Guinn has set aside $1.6 billion in the next two years to finance a variety of programs, which will consume 29 percent of the state's $5.7 billion general fund budget.

Willden presented charts that showed while Nevada has a low unemployment rate, 10.9 percent of the state's population is living in poverty, the 25th highest rate among the nation's states.

"Older women in Nevada are substantially more impoverished than Nevada's older men," the documents accompanying the budget presentation noted. Seventy-three percent of all women ages 62 or older have an annual income less than $19,999 compared with 39.5 percent of the men in that age category.

The state ranks even worse when it comes to children. Thirty-nine percent of Nevada's children live in working-poor families, ranking the state 40th worst in the nation.

Meanwhile, Nevada spent an average of $372 per capita in its Medicaid budget for medical care for low-income people, the lowest expenditure in the nation. The national average among the states in 2002 was $853 per capita. For every $1 sent to the federal government, Nevada gets back 70 cents, according to budget documents.

Alexander Haartz, administrator of the state Health Division, said it was "frustrating" to be in the low end.

Carlos Brandenburg, administrator of the state Division of Mental Health and Developmental Services, said Nevada spent $59 per capita on mental health in fiscal year 2002, compared with the national average of $89. Nevada's per capita funding rate was 12th lowest in the nation. But, he said, Nevada ranked ninth best in keeping down administrative costs. he said those costs averaged $1.1 million in Nevada compared with the national average of $10.1 million.

Outside the hearing, Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, complained that the state's support of the public schools is one of the lowest in the nation. She noted that Guinn's budget allocates 53.3 percent of expenditures to the public schools and the University and Community College System of Nevada. That's down from 55 percent in the 2003-05 biennium.

"We're putting less effort into education and social services," complained Giunchigliani.

Willden said there have been successes in the Senior RX program that provides drugs to low-income senior citizens. He said the state hired a new contractor, Catalyst Rx, and this company has been able to get drugs at lower costs. There are an estimated 9,000 seniors in the program and that total is expected to grow to 12,000.

Willden said the governor is putting $100,000 a year into starting a problem gamblers program. He said there is "quite of bit of education" going on now and "very little treatment." He said most of the money would be used to pay certified gaming addiction counselors.

The governor, Sen. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, and Sen. Dennis Nolan, R-Las Vegas, are working with the gaming industry to supplement the state's appropriation, Willden said.

Also, Nevada's suicide rate has been 65-85 percent higher than the national average for the past several years, according to the budget document. The 2003 rate in Nevada was 18.5 suicides per 100,000 people.

Guinn's budget sets aside $300,000 for a suicide prevention coordinator to start an awareness and prevention program.