State’s new Medicaid administrator to meet with Las Vegas doctors

By Cy Ryan (contact)

Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013 | 5:52 p.m.

In his message to the Legislature, Gov. Brian Sandoval said 78,000 Nevadans will be eligible for Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act.

And getting ready to run the greatly expanded program is a California woman who was appointed in December as administrator of the state Division of Health Care Financing and Policy.

Laurie Squartsoff replaces Chuck Duarte, who managed Medicaid from August 2000 to late last year when he took a job at the medical school at the University of Nevada Reno.

Squartsoff, who will earn a yearly salary of $114,104, will meet with physicians in Las Vegas Friday at the Clark County Medical Society office, 2590 East Russell Road.

Physicians have said there are not enough doctors to take care of the expanded numbers.

Squartsoff was formerly employed at the California Med-Cal program managing the Northern California Pharmacy section. She is a licensed pharmacist both in California and Nevada.

Low-income Nevadans are eligible for medical care under the program.