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Amendment to Senate Bill 97 would add tribal health administrator seat to Nevada’s insurance exchange board
Summary
An amendment to Senate Bill 97 would require one of the governor’s five appointments to the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange board be a member of a Nevada tribe with tribal‑health administrative experience. Tribal leaders and health directors said inclusion would help tribal navigation of the exchange and tribal sponsorship of premiums.
Committee members on March 28 considered an amendment to Senate Bill 97 that would change the composition of the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange board to require one gubernatorial appointment be a member of a Nevada tribe with experience in tribal health‑care administration.
Brett Scolari, representing the Reno‑Sparks Indian Colony, described the amendment as a focused change to NRS that would add tribal expertise to the Exchange board. Angie Wilson, executive director of the Reno‑Sparks Tribal Health Center, told the committee that tribal health care is governed by a complex federal framework — including the Indian Health Care Improvement Act and special Affordable Care Act provisions for American Indians and Alaska Natives — and that tribal sponsorship of premiums and continuous enrollment privileges make tribal input valuable to Exchange decisions.
Wilson said tribes have worked with Nevada Health Link and the Exchange staff to develop tribal enrollment procedures, but that formal board representation would reduce future friction and help coordinate sponsors, aggregate billing and referrals. “The Indian health service delivery system is complex,” she said. “When the exchange came up…and the Affordable Care Act has been enacted for over a decade now, it should not have taken a decade for tribes to be able to get to the point where we can do tribal sponsorship.”
Supporters included the National Nurses United, a Panhandle‑based nonprofit, and local tribal representatives. No callers or witnesses testified in opposition at the hearing; no formal committee vote was recorded.
