[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_25":26},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5},"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","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_27":28,"_29":30},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[31,75,86],{"_32":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":73},"mediaId",6628820,"mediaKeyId","2714594-392e47558c5f37126c9612eaa52d5c83","parentId",2714594,"title","Senate committee considers banning step therapy for HIV and hepatitis C drugs to speed access to treatment","audioSeconds",8791,"startMs",8791000,"endMs",-1,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2714594-392e47558c5f37126c9612eaa52d5c83&start=8791&end=0","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2714594-392e47558c5f37126c9612eaa52d5c83/thumbnail_8791000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6628820/Nevada/Senate-committee-considers-banning-step-therapy-for-HIV-and-hepatitis-C-drugs-to-speed-access-to-treatment","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6628820-9465378947f3e2e54528dea9d313d92f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770216449&Signature=SN1J0rrcOzbPU6PVdToOoWm4TIoJJK44Jc3aMHDyRb7k-CNXDSzfbRQwqjq7mlHoU3Z9SAw6rMlDSfq1b4Dsb-M843qXzPqvijgioOZRCFV4p9l2TxWRyxKQw9w8KLjJvfYzjhn~zZbiofrU19Bol3PfM0-blANhdZMqVkyjqWp-ZO88idib3sFyZZV7M9vT2EIMYJfQS-3VIAw~8TfbIAH3eb-nOYTj5vjBy~0SBwP~BQM4U2zRd6WvSqY288c26GCR~gSnwi9AwNUu33CfFw061jXDqggRGtYMw08ClxKhsCpc1HCw1~s3PJf08tjiIaZnY7ORKjKT~Yuba9a7uw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Nevada State Legislature","date","2025-03-20T17:42:36.14Z","article","Senate Bill 354, presented Thursday to the Nevada Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor by Senator Jeff Stone (Senate District 20), would bar insurers and Nevada Medicaid from requiring step therapy (\"try‑and‑fail\" protocols) for specific medications used to treat or prevent HIV and to cure hepatitis C.

Stone said the bill is a public‑health measure designed to remove time‑consuming hurdles that can delay viral suppression for people living with HIV and to speed curative hepatitis C treatment. “HIV is not a disease where try and fail is an appropriate barrier,” Stone told the committee, noting that rapid and appropriate treatment reduces transmission and improves long‑term outcomes.

Nut graf: Sponsors and clinicians said removing step therapy for these conditions protects patients and public health by preventing avoidable transmission and by enabling treatment that reduces lifetime costs; insurers said they support patient access but asked for further dialogue about utilization and cost controls.

Dr. Leana Ramirez, chief clinical officer at The Center in Las Vegas, described clinical and personal impacts. She told senators that long‑acting injectable HIV treatments can spare patients daily reminders of trauma and improve adherence; she also cited statewide data presented in testimony that Nevada ranked fifth highest in the nation for new HIV diagnoses as of February 2022 (cited in testimony as \"20 new cases per 100,000 people\") and that Clark County accounts for more than 80 percent of those new diagnoses. On hepatitis C, witnesses cited a prevalence figure from testimony described as \"approximately 11 90 cases per 100,000 people.\" The testimony said hepatitis C is curable with direct‑acting antivirals typically completed in about eight weeks.

Supporters also noted the avoided costs if early, appropriate treatment prevents advanced disease: testimony cited a U.S. liver transplant cost exceeding $875,000 and hepatitis C drug courses ranging from about $25,000 to $94,000, and one witness cited estimated lifetime savings from early HIV treatment at roughly $225,000 per patient.

The bill drew support from community health providers, the Retail Association of Nevada’s pharmacy members, the Nevada Primary Care Association and advocacy groups. The Nevada Association of Health Plans testified it was open to working with sponsors but cautioned that step therapy programs are an established utilization‑management tool designed to promote safety, quality and cost‑effective prescribing; the association said carriers use pharmacy and therapeutics committees to set protocols and that expedited appeals are available when a prior therapy is inappropriate.

Adam Plain of the Nevada Division of Insurance testified neutral, noting the division previously analyzed Senate Bill 439 (2023) and determined that mandates related to HIV and hepatitis C had triggered federal defrayal provisions for plan year 2025. Plain said the division lacks robust data on how removing step therapy would change utilization and costs, and suggested a possible implementation delay (for example shifting an effective date from 2026 to 2027) to allow the state's essential health‑benefit benchmark update process to incorporate any mandated benefits and avoid federal defrayal exposure.

No committee vote was taken. Senator Stone said he was open to further discussions with insurers and stakeholders about technical changes.

Ending: The committee closed the SB 354 hearing and moved to public comment; sponsors and stakeholders were asked to continue negotiating technical details.

Speakers quoted above are drawn from testimony before the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","3/20/2025 - Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Bill 354 would prohibit insurers and Nevada Medicaid from requiring step therapy before covering medications for HIV treatment or prevention and for hepatitis C, sponsors told the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee on Thursday.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature NV, Nevada","taxId",78440,"location","Nevada","headline","","shortSummary",{"_32":76,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":77,"_40":78,"_42":79,"_44":45,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6628825,"Senate committee hears bill to codify federal nondiscrimination protections in Nevada health law",6293,6293000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2714594-392e47558c5f37126c9612eaa52d5c83&start=6293&end=0","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2714594-392e47558c5f37126c9612eaa52d5c83/thumbnail_6293000.jpg","/articles/6628825/Nevada/Senate-committee-hears-bill-to-codify-federal-nondiscrimination-protections-in-Nevada-health-law","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6628825-94c6a75b0d21eb97c0b517ac15e3456e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770216449&Signature=g-RtJCr3eSN0tyx8f1fAPhfqgWtbX0hryoeq4RxrIFFJ99U6B1McbHELIphXChtsrfrQ4-Y7utvpd7gX1LVFaP8X-oG7kJB8QA~hy04B0w~IdGd1mAL-IkN4u1oGhdwTFYbNVUiO29BJBQAPrulsKPIuQMOZ3mJm~5YEHzGv9nOylo3evzkWjxQcGrCyM9qlK2s31iH8XSItHsw~kB3rMf3~gZlB8NPisADV2WPW5ZhIVCfcCIzVtGtm4l2c9JKWoQ-LV-~ioMzjn1KOJmBb9T5lAdxyp5Lb5IhhDC-IznwWhxBBMjxj4UEvRVs7Vz1FBEWDZ8EkJ9EbDOdTHsp9eQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 352, presented Thursday to the Nevada Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor by Senator Melanie Scheibel (Senate District 9), would codify nondiscrimination protections in Nevada law that sponsors say mirror those in federal law now found in the Affordable Care Act.

“Those protections should generally apply here in the State of Nevada,” Scheibel told the committee, but she said state statutes did not currently include the full set of protections for people who buy plans on the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange. The bill would add protected characteristics — drawn from federal definitions and cited in testimony as including age, national origin, disability, gender, gender identity and expression — into multiple sections of Nevada Revised Statutes that govern health insurance coverage.

Nut graf: Sponsors argued that putting nondiscrimination language into state law gives Nevadans a stable, local backstop if federal enforcement or regulatory interpretation changes; supporters said the move protects access to care and prevents state‑level gaps in enforcement.

Supporters at the hearing included the Nevada State Medical Association and the Nevada Psychiatric Association, and Andre Wade of Silver State Equality, who said federal protections can shift with changes in administration and enforcement and that state codification would provide steadier protection for LGBTQ+ Nevadans.

Adam Plain of the Nevada Division of Insurance testified neutral and identified three drafting considerations for the committee and sponsors: (1) the bill uses the term “policy of health insurance,” which is broader than the defined term “health benefit plan” in NRS 687B.470 and may sweep in stand‑alone dental, vision, supplemental or indemnity policies the sponsor may not intend; (2) if age is treated as a protected characteristic for rating purposes in major medical health benefit plans, it may conflict with federal rating rules that allow age, geography and tobacco use as rating factors; and (3) a proposed Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) market stabilization rule (cited in testimony) implementing Executive Order 14187 could designate certain services as not part of essential health benefits, which in turn can trigger federal defrayal exposure for state‑mandated benefits.

Plain suggested the sponsor and the division continue technical discussions and said that if the committee enacts mandates not included in the state’s essential health benefit benchmark, Nevada could be liable for increased premium costs on Qualified Health Plans unless the benchmark is updated; he noted the division is working on a benchmark update and suggested an implementation delay as a possible remedy if the committee is concerned about federal defrayal exposure.

No vote occurred; sponsors said they would continue to work with stakeholders on technical language.

Ending: The committee closed the SB 352 hearing after technical questions and directed sponsors and the Division of Insurance to continue drafting discussions.

Speakers quoted above are drawn from testimony before the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor.","Senate Bill 352, presented Thursday to the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, would add nondiscrimination protections in Nevada law mirroring federal Affordable Care Act protections to ensure people who purchase coverage on Nevada’s exchange are protected at the state level.",{"_32":87,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":88,"_40":89,"_42":90,"_44":91,"_46":92,"_48":93,"_50":94,"_52":95,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":96,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":97,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6628830,"Senate committee hears bill to notify Nevada attorney general of large mergers under federal HSR filings",4920,1310000,6230000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2714594-392e47558c5f37126c9612eaa52d5c83&start=1310&end=6230","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2714594-392e47558c5f37126c9612eaa52d5c83/thumbnail_1310000.jpg","/articles/6628830/Nevada/Senate-committee-hears-bill-to-notify-Nevada-attorney-general-of-large-mergers-under-federal-HSR-filings","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6628830-604eb8d7eb71d44764404a934686d694/orig.mp4?Expires=1770216449&Signature=iYKzAxIAwH~CLJJeRJkF~VtVEQUotPvC9njgIotmShdyBr-bcODBZVeC3HMtAu1bh2z489c-4trORe59pYXac5GOJppJZGtlS58fy6c7PZ8haxZGfVe3DiieoQa2yMJttv6YdlQ9h6~3aQPglBlXNmiS9ENkNaZGVbIlOrTEZfUEFzgMrVA1vsbswNDcXRvfhNfn5UZITf1ZXRFAgjlRBnV5MrBKKwSdsEmYZ3EksAiURUA4xdBuN~YSZCjcoK4hJCWKAv2rJwDTOJQwBHQHcrRiJ1tRay6ZDRLG-zS-GBq3D~t-ALtSkzdSvyAaLS3A5NVdZcxY0mfOFqeq0XeHwA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senators on the Nevada Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor on Thursday heard testimony on Senate Bill 218, the Uniform Antitrust Premerger Notification Act, a measure that would require businesses filing a federal Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) notification to also send the same filing to the Nevada attorney general when the transaction meets certain in-state criteria.

The bill’s sponsor, Senator James Orenshaw (Senate District 21), told the committee the Uniform Law Commission drafted the model act to give states the same advance notice the federal government receives. “States also have a role in trying to see if this is something that could harm our constituents,” Orenshaw said, describing a hypothetical merger of two gasoline retailers that could reduce competition and raise prices.

Nut graf: Backers say SB 218 addresses an informational asymmetry that currently leaves state attorneys general learning about potentially anticompetitive transactions months after federal authorities; the change would let Nevada review proposed mergers affecting the state as federal regulators do, while preserving existing confidentiality protections.

Dan Robbins, immediate past president of the Uniform Law Commission and a commissioner from California, told senators the federal Clayton Act gives states enforcement authority but not the filings HSR provides. He said the bill would require companies to send the same HSR materials to Nevada when (1) the company’s principal place of business is in Nevada or (2) the company has more than $25,000,000 in net sales in Nevada, and when the federal HSR threshold is met (the presenters cited the federal threshold as “more than $126,000,000”). Robbins said the statute preserves the HSR confidentiality protections and prohibits Nevada from charging a filing fee.

Caitlin Wolf, legislative programs director for the Uniform Law Commission, described the drafting process as multi‑stakeholder and said the American Bar Association antitrust section and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have endorsed the uniform approach. The sponsors emphasized the bill does not force the attorney general to sue; it only provides notice and access to the same materials the Federal Trade Commission and the Antitrust Division receive.

Committee legal counsel Jeff Koulame confirmed Nevada already requires certain notifications for some health care mergers and that the bill contains a mechanism (in section 17, subsection 2, paragraph C, as discussed) to deem existing state notifications sufficient to satisfy the uniform‑act requirement for those covered transactions.

Industry representatives from the Nevada Resort Association said they worked with the sponsor on a proposed, stakeholder amendment intended to avoid duplicative filings for heavily regulated industries such as gaming, where the Gaming Control Board already reviews transactions and the attorney general has access to those records. Misty Grimmer of the Nevada Resort Association said the association appreciated the sponsor’s willingness to collaborate and emphasized the amendment was not intended to alter federal obligations.

No formal action or vote was taken in committee Thursday. Committee members asked staff and stakeholders to continue refining language — particularly the amendment language describing how existing state regulatory filings should be treated — and legal counsel said staff would continue to research whether specific regulatory regimes (for example, gaming) already provide de facto notice.

Ending: The committee closed the hearing on SB 218 after questions and invited additional stakeholder negotiations; the next bill was called up immediately after.

Speakers quoted above are drawn from testimony before the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor.","Senators on the Nevada Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor on Thursday heard testimony on Senate Bill 218, the Uniform Antitrust Premerger Notification Act, a measure that would require businesses filing a federal Hart‑Scott‑Rodino notification to also send the same filing to the Nevada attorney general when the transaction meets certain in‑state criteria.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate committee considers banning step therapy for HIV and hepatitis C drugs to speed access to treatment

Senate committee hears bill to codify federal nondiscrimination protections in Nevada health law

Senate committee hears bill to notify Nevada attorney general of large mergers under federal HSR filings