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AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid takes part in a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009.
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009 | 10:27 a.m.
Sun Coverage
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid secured a deal today that would give Nevada full, 100 percent funding in the Senate health care bill for an initial expansion of Medicaid.
The agreement reached with the committee chairman comes after Reid vowed last week to strike a better deal for Nevada before bringing any legislation to the floor.
Reid took heat from Republican Rep. Nathan Deal of Georgia who bemoaned the majority leader’s powerful reach into Senate negotiations to improve the bill for Nevada.
The deal would give Nevada full funding for the first five years of the program — an effort to ease concerns that Nevada would be unable to afford the federally-mandated expansion of care for the poor.
The Senate Finance Committee Chairman, Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, announced today that struggling states — particularly those with high unemployment rates — would receive the full funding for the first five years of the expansion. Nevada’s unemployment rate is the second highest in the nation.
Gov. Jim Gibbons said last week that the cash-strapped state should not be saddled with providing extra care for uninsured adults unless it is fully reimbursed, and the governor's office was wary of only temporary aid. Republican Sen. John Ensign has introduced a committee amendment to scrap the required expansion if it increases state budgets for Medicaid by more than 1 percent.
Nevada would have seen its annual expenditure on Medicaid grow by 5 percent annually — the second largest increase in the nation. The average annual increase for states was estimated at less than 1 percent.
With the full reimbursement, and other changes announced today, the increase to Nevada’s annual Medicaid expenditure would be 1.6 percent, Reid’s office said.
The Medicaid expansion being considered in the House and Senate bills would require states to cover more children and parents, and also offer new coverage for poor, childless adults — those individuals making less than $14,400 a year — who currently are not eligible for Medicaid.
Pork barrel wins again!
Way to go, Harry!
Our "other Senator" is busy trying to muddy the health care reform waters with a "list" of "tweaks" that are so disingenuous that they could kindly be described as "childish". What else would we expect?
The "list" will, however, play HUGELY in Rural Fernley, and with his staunchest allies of "conservative Christians".
Thanks Harry!
ISN'T IT INTERESTING...ELECTION IS COMING UP AND ALL OF A SUDDEN HERE COMES HARRY TO THE RESCUE....WHERE WAS HE THE LAST FOUR YEARS????
VOTE REID OUT IN 2010!!!
OH BY THE WAY HARRY WANTS THOSE ILLEGALS, THEY ARE POTENTIAL VOTERS!
I guess in year 6 that Nevada needs to brace for another record breaking tax increase.
Wow way to put in some real work as your headed out the door! Bye Bye Harry
Thats great that we are getting some money for healthcare that wont start at the earliest 1013. How about getting us some money for the schools right away. we are loosing students and even more money now. Way to go Harry
Medicaid - the insurance of illegals.
Now we know harry is worried about re election, he actually did something for Nevada.
You guys hit it on the head. Harry hasn't done anything for Nevada worth mentioning and now that he's about to get voted out he secures medicaid for our illegals, great job Harry! Let's vote this yahoo out this time!
Harry Reid comes through for Nevada again in a BIG way. What if Reid were not there and we had to rely on The Promise Keeper who can't keep his pants zipped. We would be as low on all the scales as Mississippi.
Thank you Senator Harry Reid!
Oh jeez, here come the usual suspects to hate on Reid for doing something good for Nevada! My goodness, even if he walks on water I bet these folks would be screaming about why he doesn't swim. Whatever, Reid will win next year like he always does and Nevada will still have at least one Senator who really cares about the well-being of our state.
Thanks Harry! This helps to make more Welfare Queen's. You are AMAZING!!!
Tarkanian 2010!
Um, where do all these supports of this FULL FUNDING think the money is going to come from? Come on and get real and think about it... It's comes from taxes, either now or later. One way or another we have to pay for it. Good thing Mr. Reid is using our taxes to try and sweeten his re-election bid. Come on Nevada, we are being used. It's time to get some real people that care about the State of Nevada in office. This is nothing more that election year politics that my kids will have to pay for down the road, plus get no benefit from since I have a good health plan at work. Wake up people!
I HATE that poor Americans are always asking for something, health care, education, job training, I wish we could send all poor people to the Moon.
Tired of these freeloaders taking my job! Gosh, just hate it!
Does anyone know of a way that I can opt-out of Medicare and social security benefits when I retire!?!?!? Because I am not a socialist-pig like most Americans, who freeload off other tax-payers.
So what State will pay for Nevada.
We need to send a thank you note
Mr Reid isnt going anywhere. As one of the most powerful men in government Nevada needs to keep him. Who ever would take his place would not have 1/2 his power and influence.
Anyone who votes against Harry Reid next year is blinded by pointless radical right wing rage that it's not 1958 anymore.
Reid you're an Idiot and you're out of here in 2010. Big deal securing money for Obama followers; this doesn't do anything for those of us who do work and contribute back into society.
Why don't you do something that helps Nevada not stop contributing our hard earned tax dollars to the slow dumb and lazy pathetic followers. We don't care about your career welfare blood sucking lazy voting pool, these along the illegal immigrants are the very people draining our economy down and we can't afford to take care of them anymore. STOP IT!
Now I know why Ensign's contact site is down today. Ridiculous he is fighting helping the massive Nevada unemployed from seeking help with Medicaid. Go home to Daddy Ensign...we need a grownup with real life skills that understands the plight of hardworking Nevadans caught up in this economy.
It isn't up to the government to look after jobless people. It's up to the jobless people to look after themselves, on their own merit. We've got to get back to basics in this country, and quit depending on taxpayers to bail them out.
Emsign knows this. He's got my vote in 2012.
I agree with you AFvet, that is why you are not going to accept your retirement pension because those are my tax-dollars going into your pocket! And we both do not agree with socialism and people asking for hand-outs.
How come "Government is bad" politicians like Enswigne and Heller vote for extension of unemployment benefits and government aid to the flooded cracker states?
I thought government was part of the problem, not part of the solution.
Senator Reid has his own agenda and it's his interest not ours. Not fooled here. He thinks we're all going to forget his foolishness. He's gone!
I like Harry...
Harry threatened today to use a procedural maneuver to steamroll opponents of health care reform.
Harry announced his "nuclear option" as a Senate panel began delicate negotiations over a health care reform package that might have a chance at passing if Harry would stay out of it.
Personally, I would like to see Harry use his nuclear option, and see how many Democrat Senators vote along with him.
Strictly on the basis of H1N1 projections, those covered by this legislation are now provided, at no expense to you, with vaccinations that increase the safety of the larger and more affluent community of Clark County. Hate him and vote him out, but this was arguably nick-of-time, for medical, to say nothing of political, reasons.
This is going to make Nevada a lot of friends!
Obama told people not to come to Vegas for conventions because it would be inappropriate during tough economic times and Harry said NOTHING to us. Now he turns around and does this - people are going to hate us for this!
Atta Boy Harry