A Republican state lawmaker and a conservative tax policy group are asking a judge to strike down the state’s public option healthcare law.
The challenge filed Wednesday in Carson City argues the law violates the Nevada constitution.
The lawsuit filed by state Senator Robin Titus and the National Taxpayers Union looks to strike Senate Bill 420 passed by the Democratic majority during the 2021 legislative session.
The so-called “Public Option” aims to lower insurance premiums by using the state’s negotiating power with private companies that contract with Nevada’s Medicaid services.
Private insurers are then, in turn, supposed to use state and federal funds to offer discounted plans like those found on the state’s health insurance exchange.
The legal challenge argues the law gives state officials too much power to use taxpayer money without legislative oversight. It also claims that as a DeFacto tax and spending bill it did not receive the constitutionally required two-thirds vote needed to approve such legislation.
In a statement says the law “will worsen our state’s already severe shortage of doctors and nurses, harm Nevadans’ access to quality health care, and drive costs even higher.”
The law is set to go into effect in 2026.
