[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6659590,"mediaKeyId","2450247-036bc86adfce0223001c4ab0c3bed78a","parentId",2450247,"title","Bill would require insurers to cover stuttering treatment for children; supporters urge broader coverage","audioSeconds",2239,"startMs",3744000,"endMs",5983000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2450247-036bc86adfce0223001c4ab0c3bed78a&start=3744&end=5983","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2450247-036bc86adfce0223001c4ab0c3bed78a/thumbnail_3744000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6659590/Nevada/Bill-would-require-insurers-to-cover-stuttering-treatment-for-children-supporters-urge-broader-coverage","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6659590-916d05c520b3a0af8042b460c7396db6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770448763&Signature=RBj-n-v2dDiKFks8jQqUhbSBTxdhXCSDrovLpK1DUIqLbqvePWDjnJqdMmqeYmEXSeFCsn8ysqMrgmZdhza6L0x7~M1iV9DBslgRS2crSO1KYk9~JGp1iiZ5ai9G6J3OqWuKUhhTZXaPtqWOa6RvUDjm5EbX7vFG6GJR7HlSjCbfXmgyhdrvhIOnX9OIqH9gn4dPWQnkiG-MafoLSLoUHNYYCVcJD7JAdsY9V9LWWCYLhZ5y4EXDkbO6gniMzSRNpnEZ-XZNp6W4rRE6ylhL2K367mY4Sr0ydVwqZEi9Fyo9MRLyjOAuJOdIewitO1XzIiYtLqj7NUzi497RG1Vugg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Nevada Legislature","date","2025-02-28T21:53:11.867Z","article","Assembly Bill 169, presented by Assemblyman Steve Yeager, would require specified health insurance policies and plans to cover speech-language pathology treatment for stuttering for people under age 18 and would bar insurers from imposing a yearly visit cap, limiting benefits based on the cause of stuttering, or subjecting the service to routine medical-management limits specified in the bill.

Sponsor and presenters described the bill as narrowly targeted to remove coverage barriers that prevent children who stutter from accessing evidence-based therapy. \"Stuttering is a health care issue,\" said Cheryl Larson, a speech-language pathologist at the University of Nevada, Reno. Larson and other clinicians told the committee that stuttering has neurophysiological bases, carries substantial social and emotional effects and frequently requires specialized, longitudinal therapy that many general SLPs do not provide. \"If health insurance can cover occupational therapy, physical therapy, mental-health therapy, why is it a far leap to have it cover speech-language therapy for something like this?\" Larson asked.

Personal testimony underscored access problems. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, a former NBA player who stutters and who has become an advocate, said he had been mocked and that advocacy motivated him to bring attention to the issue. Esteban Perez, a college student who stutters, described stopping therapy in high school and later seeking costly private services; he told the committee, \"No one should have to go through what I had to experience.\" Supporters argued that early treatment can reduce lifetime social, educational and employment harms.

Coverage scope and federal funding: the sponsor said the bill is intended to apply to both private and public plans and repeats similar provisions across multiple statutory chapters to capture the state's varied insurance frameworks. Adam Plain of the Nevada Division of Insurance said the agency is neutral on the bill and provided analysis in the committee record; Plain said the division does not currently view the bill as triggering federal defrayal (federal Medicaid defrayal) but provided materials for the committee's consideration.

Age and amendment discussions: committee members asked why the bill currently limits coverage to people under 18. Yeager and witnesses said they selected that age to begin with a narrower, more politically attainable scope, and they were open to amendments. Several members suggested extending coverage to older ages—one member proposed 26 to match parental insurance eligibility—and the sponsor said he would consider friendly amendments to broaden the age range.

Who testified: in addition to Yeager, testimony for AB 169 included Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (advocate), Cheryl Larson (UNR speech pathology), Esteban Perez (student), Jacqueline Nguyen (Nevada State Medical Association), Ryan McInerney (Nevada State University clinics), Shauna Ross (Nevada Speech Language Hearing Association), Dr. Sheri Bailey (Nevada State University faculty), and public comments from clinicians and private-practice providers describing denied visits and the cost burden on families.

No vote was taken at the hearing; the sponsor said he expects to work on amendments and further stakeholder conversations before the bill moves forward.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2/28/2025 - Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor","oneSentenceSummary","Assembly Bill 169, introduced by Assemblyman Steve Yeager, would require a range of health plans in Nevada to cover speech-language pathology for stuttering among people under 18 and to prohibit insurers from imposing annual-visit caps or cause-based coverage limits.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature NV, Nevada","taxId",78440,"location","Nevada","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6659595,"Committee hears bill to extend Nevada 'heart and lung' occupational protections to school police, marshals and juvenile probation officers",2540,1182000,3722000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2450247-036bc86adfce0223001c4ab0c3bed78a&start=1182&end=3722","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2450247-036bc86adfce0223001c4ab0c3bed78a/thumbnail_1182000.jpg","/articles/6659595/Nevada/Committee-hears-bill-to-extend-Nevada-heart-and-lung-occupational-protections-to-school-police-marshals-and-juvenile-probation-officers","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6659595-5d7e56bd48e5c9b878188263fd246d8a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770448763&Signature=TUWOT0MiJpEwhbJ-6M4laXsiCu~MdQhSCxGKhGK1kgAZEad5pC3o90PygZvmYiygar9TH1oLiCxK~4Pf9jwYNXDM0o-v2qzsW0Md5OqSghxj9JQ0ooc2YlsukquTnvA1XxPmb9FhckaliDAyEvRJsSBtYS8g5Y~aI~0OMCAFyfs43-IEJ4q8zI2seKGcO0ZzsXju~I~u5vneYn1xrse7GLU3S7xOaA6bM077YIgVCHS5xfwdyZ8ngq0TznwsoJ3Fmrtj33V5kZwMQXti1AL7VlsAaTickap-5GAFDfuu2jg8Ab4j53k-ZY5pCHbmlTTYfwCXS4liib5THyRKykbDDA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Assembly Bill 93, introduced in the Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee by Assemblyman Brian Hibbett, would expand Nevada's existing presumptions for certain heart and lung diseases to include additional categories of peace officers—specifically school police officers employed by school districts, juvenile probation officers, municipal court bailiffs and deputy marshals, city or town marshals and deputy marshals, and “any other category 1 peace officer that has unrestricted duties throughout the state,” the bill text states.

Supporters told the committee that the bill aims to provide parity with personnel already covered under the Nevada Occupational Diseases Act and related Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS). \"There is absolutely no credible reason why they do not qualify as much as the other categories that are currently set forth in NRS 617.135,\" said Richard (Rick) McCann, representing the Nevada Association of Public Safety Officers and the Nevada Law Enforcement Coalition. McCann summarized current statutory coverage as including NRS 617.455 (lung diseases) and NRS 617.457 (heart diseases), which create a presumption that certain diseases are work related for covered officers.

Why it matters: testimony from current and former officers emphasized on-the-job exposures, chronic stress and repeated emergency responses as causes of elevated cardiac and respiratory risk. Juvenile probation officers, school district police and city marshals said they perform many of the same duties as other covered officers—carrying weapons, making arrests, transporting detainees and responding to dangerous calls—and therefore should be eligible for the same long-term benefit protections. \"We are the first responders inside the walls of detention,\" said Jerrell Roberts, a juvenile probation officer and attorney. \"This is my reality every day… the science tells us, the data shows us that staying at that state of heightened alertness day in and day out takes a serious toll on your body.\"

Who testified for the bill: the sponsor, Assemblyman Brian Hibbett (Assembly District 13), and Rick McCann opened the presentation. Dozens of public-safety representatives and local government officials spoke in support, including Nathaniel Waugh (Clark County School District), Spencer Flanders (Tri Strategies, reading a Nevada Police Union statement), Randy Robinson (City of Las Vegas director of government affairs), Sean McVickers (Washoe County District Attorney Investigators Association), Zach Bucher (North Las Vegas), Kevin Eppinger (Juvenile Justice Probation Officers Association), Justin Houston (caller), Tina Koehl (Juvenile Justice Supervisors Association), Jeff Allen (North Las Vegas Police Officers Association), Andrew Regenbaum (Nevada Association of Public Safety Officers) and Matthew Caldwell (Police Officers Association, caller). Several juvenile-probation officers and marshals described past exposures to infectious disease, narcotics environments and repeated high-adrenaline incidents.

Questions from lawmakers and sponsor response: committee members pressed the sponsor on several scope and implementation issues. Assemblymember Monroe Moreno asked why the bill stalled last session; Hibbett said AB301 (identical language last session) passed the Assembly late and did not receive a Senate hearing before sine die. Lawmakers also asked whether tribal officers are covered; Hibbett said tribal officers, though certified, are typically employed by tribes and \"he did not believe\" they would be covered under the bill absent additional language. Vice Chair Houdegui asked how many people would be newly covered if the bill passed; Hibbett and witnesses said they did not have a single statewide tally and several jurisdictions had incomplete counts. Regarding statutory definitions, Assemblymember Yurek and other members discussed the difficulty of varying job titles; McCann and the sponsor pointed to NRS 289.47 and the bill's approach to listing classifications and adding \"category 1\" language so that changes in agency titles do not leave personnel uncovered.

Fiscal and timing notes: Hibbett said he planned to file an amendment to set the bill's effective date to July 1, 2026, so jurisdictions could budget for any cost. Witnesses and the sponsor described the bill as a cost that jurisdictions must plan for but argued it was an equity and safety issue.

No committee vote was taken at the hearing. The sponsor closed the record after public testimony and the committee moved on to its next agenda item, Assembly Bill 169.","At a hearing of the Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee, sponsors and public-safety groups urged support for Assembly Bill 93, which would expand presumptive workers'-compensation coverage under Nevada's occupational disease rules to additional categories of peace officers; lawmakers asked about scope, tribal coverage and fiscal timing.","actionData","errors"]

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Bill would require insurers to cover stuttering treatment for children; supporters urge broader coverage

Committee hears bill to extend Nevada 'heart and lung' occupational protections to school police, marshals and juvenile probation officers