New Poll: Majority Of Nevada Voters Satisfied With Current Coverage & Support Building On What Works, Not Starting Over With The State Government Option

CARSON CITY, Nev. – As the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marks its 11th year and federal officials take new steps to expand access to affordable health coverage and care, a new statewide poll conducted by Locust Street Group on behalf of Nevada’s Health Care Future finds that the majority of Nevada voters overwhelmingly support efforts to build upon the ACA and improve Nevada’s health care system, rather than start over with a state government-controlled health insurance system like the state government option.

The poll’s key findings include:

Seventy-five percent of voters prefer for lawmakers to BUILD ON Nevada’s health care system rather than create a new state government option.
A majority of Nevada voters do NOT support the state government option (only 38 percent support).
Voters are especially CONCERNED about the impacts of the state government option on access to quality care (78 percent), closure of at-risk rural hospitals (74 percent), and having fewer doctors (73 percent).
Seventy-nine percent of voters are UNWILLING to pay more for health care than they currently do to subsidize the cost of the state option.
Seventy-three percent of voters would rather keep their current coverage than buy state option coverage.

During this critical time, Nevada voters want state lawmakers to focus on jobs and the economy, with 70 percent of voters choosing it as one of their top two most important issues. Only 37 percent of voters believe health care is one of the two most important issues for state lawmakers to address.

The new statewide Nevada poll comes as the Associated Press reports that, with the American Rescue Plan, the federal government has just enacted “the biggest expansion of federal help for health insurance since the Obama-era Affordable Care Act” more than a decade ago. As Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak said, “[t]he American Rescue Plan builds upon work in the Affordable Care Act … and Nevadans will benefit from expanded subsidies, lower premiums and access to applying for health insurance outside of the traditional Open Enrollment windows.”

Nevada’s Silver State Health Insurance exchange is increasing subsidies to help make coverage more affordable, and separate steps by the federal government are already underway to reopen federal health care marketplaces, eliminate ineffective red tape that can prevent Americans from accessing coverage options and urge the Supreme Court to uphold the  Affordable Care Act. President Joe Biden’s proposed next steps on health care would “make recent boosts to Obamacare subsidies permanent, an idea that enjoys broad support,” POLITICO Pulse reports.

Poll Methodology: Locust Street Group, on behalf of Nevada’s Health Care Future, surveyed 800 likely voters in Nevada (balanced to current state demographics by gender, age, race, income, education, and political ideology). The survey was fielded online from February 8 to February 23, 2021.

To view the poll’s top line findings, CLICK HERE.

To view Locust Street Group’s analysis of the poll’s findings, CLICK HERE.

To learn more about Nevada’s Health Care Future, CLICK HERE.