Laxalt Can’t Be Trusted to Protect Nevadans’ Health Care From Trump’s Sabotage

CARSON CITY, Nevada, July 20 -- The Nevada Democratic Party issued the following news release:

As Nevada's health insurance exchange ramps up its in-person assistance network to help Nevadans purchase health insurance, Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Laxalt has consistently fought against expanding health coverage for Nevadans. Despite unrelenting efforts by the Trump administration and Washington Republicans to sabotage the Affordable Care Act, Nevada's health insurance marketplace helped nearly 100,000 Nevadans obtain coverage during the 2017 open enrollment period, exceeding 2016's totals.

But Laxalt doesn't support the Silver State Health Exchange's work to help more Nevadans afford quality health care. In fact, Laxalt snubbed a request from the health exchange to stand up against Trump's attempt to dismantle Nevada's health care system and raise premiums on Nevadans by ending cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments, which keep insurance markets stable and premiums affordable for low-income people. Republican Governor Brian Sandoval slammed Trump's move to end CSR payments as "devastating," saying it would "hurt everybody."

Laxalt also sided with Trump over his own governor in opposing Sandoval's Medicaid expansion, admitting he would have turned away billions in free federal dollars to cover hundreds of thousands of Nevadans. In his 2014 campaign for attorney general, Laxalt pledged to "join the fight against Obamacare," despite the ACA contributing to a 41 percent decline in the number of uninsured Nevadans from 2013-2015.

Nevada State Democratic Party spokeswoman Helen Kalla released the following statement:

"Adam Laxalt brags about protecting Nevada, but where has he been while Trump has deliberately undermined Nevada's health care system, causing Nevadans to pay more? Laxalt can't be trusted to put Nevadans' best interests over his own reflexive, partisan ideology, even for something as essential as access to health care. With funding for exchanges under attack, Nevadans deserve to know if Laxalt will protect our state's exchange."