The purpose of the Task Force on the Policy of the State of Nevada Concerning Access to Public Health Services is to establish the basic coverage that must be included in each policy of health insurance and health plan that is issued in Nevada. In addition, the Task Force is charged with identifying, reviewing, and prioritizing the basic health care services to which all residents of Nevada should have access, regardless of whether they have health insurance, and identifying and analyzing current public and private resources within Nevada that provide health care services and coverage to persons without health insurance.

The Task Force has 15 members -- six legislators and nine individuals appointed by Governor Guinn who represent both private and public sector interests as identified in SB 556. The Governor appointed Dr. Javaid Anwar, a Las Vegas physician, to serve as Chairman, and Senator Mark Amodei as Vice Chairman. Additionally, the Task Force has met its statutory responsibility to form a Technical Advisory Committee that includes three faculty of the School of Medicine and one faculty of the Dental School. The Task Force expanded the Technical Advisory Committee to include nine additional persons representing public health and private sector interests in the health care field. Names of all Task Force Technical Advisory Committee members are posted on the Legislative Web Site along with our agendas, minutes and a task analysis of SB 556.

The Task Force has convened three times since December. Dr. Anwar has emphasized his sights are on an outcome that does not mean new insurance mandates. And further, that to achieve this end, the Task Force must address a range of issues including access to health care and public health services, baseline information on the scope of the uninsured problem in Nevada, basic health insurance plans, insurance and private sector provider issues, and minority and medically underserved issues.

Dr. Anwar appointed two subcommittees to gather additional information for the Task Force. The first subcommittee will obtain answers to various health insurance questions, and the second subcommittee will gather information on innovative methods used in other states to address the problem of access to health care services.

The April meeting of the Task Force will address the public and private programs that directly or indirectly provide health care services to uninsured Nevadans, and will conclude the principal information-gathering portion of the Task Force’s eight scheduled meetings. Thereafter, increased public input, open work sessions, and candid deliberations on the issues of charge to the Task Force are planned. At such time as the Task Force identifies a basic benefits package, actuarial evidence on the cost of providing insurance coverage for these services will be contracted out through the Task Force’s appropriation. The Task Force continues to explore the demographics of the state’s insured and uninsured populations.

In addition to its regular meetings, the Task Force intends to schedule several public forums that will be held throughout the state to provide information to the public concerning the work of the Task Force and to obtain public comment on the work of the Task Force. The Department of Human Resources and the Division of Insurance of the Department of Business and Industry are providing staff to assist the Task Force in performing its duties. Recommendations of the Task Force must be submitted to the Governor and to the Director of LCB on or before December 1, 2000.