Nevada
Rehab now more accessible to Nevada Medicaid recipients
Residential treatment for addiction is expected to become more available to Nevada Medicaid beneficiaries this year, even as congressional Republicans consider cuts to the insurance program for low-income people.
In December 2022, the federal government gave approval for a requirement that managed-care organizations in Nevada cover residential treatment — live-in treatment at an addiction treatment facility — for up to 30 days, if “deemed medically necessary.”
But it took revisions to Medicaid’s complex rules on reimbursement before managed-care organizations broadly implemented the requirement, said Jeff Iverson, CEO of CrossRoads of Southern Nevada treatment center.
In October of last year, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services gave approval for Nevada Medicaid to reimburse for residential treatment based on a bundled rate, allowing a higher reimbursement rate, according to Nevada Medicaid.
“Nevada Medicaid is expecting an uptick in the number of providers now that there is a more sustainable rate for this array of services,” the agency said.
Asked who’s to blame for the slow implementation, Iverson said, “There’s just a lot of finger-pointing. The MCOs blame the state.”
Related: ‘It is, frankly, dangerous’: Addiction treatment centers claim insurance denials have increased
Nevada Medicaid said implementation required, in part, updating the software system to allow providers to bill for services. It also required coordination with another state health division providing grants to fund these services.
Meanwhile, managed-care organizations Anthem and Molina have been using a model of care that covered detox and outpatient treatment at CrossRoads coupled with off-campus housing and transportation to treatment, Iverson said.
Recently, all of the managed-care organizations, except for Health Plan of Nevada, have entered into contracts with CrossRoads to begin providing residential treatment, he said.
Health Plan of Nevada had a contract with CrossRoads in 2023 to provide services, including detox and residential treatment, but late that year began to deny treatment and refer its clients to outpatient clinics, Iverson said.
In a statement, Health Plan of Nevada said it provides access “to quality, evidence-based behavioral health care” for its members.
As of Jan. 1, a policy went into effect under which the managed-care organizations are beginning to cover residential treatment for Medicaid beneficiaries in the specialty courts of the Clark County court system, court spokesperson Mary Ann Price said.
One such court is adult drug court, a court-supervised, comprehensive inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment program for individuals dependent on alcohol or drugs. The aim is to address substance abuse issues to reduce recidivism.
Previously, the court obtained grants to cover treatment, said DeDe Parker, who a few months ago left her position as an administrator with the Clark County court system after eight years, including several as the administrator over specialty courts.
“The state wasn’t going to fund us because Medicaid was supposed to pick up funding residential treatment,” Parker said. “When I left, we were still trying to fight that.”
There was also an ongoing conversation, she said, about how individuals outside the court system could get treatment at all.
An average of 268 people over each of the past five years have received residential treatment funded through the court system, according to data from Price.
Contact Mary Hynes at mhynes@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0336. Follow @MaryHynes1 on X. Hynes is a member of the Review-Journal’s investigative team, focusing on reporting that holds leaders and agencies accountable and exposes wrongdoing.
Medicaid eligibility
In Nevada, households with annual incomes of up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level may qualify for Medicaid.
This is an income of about $20,800 a year for an individual and $43,000 for a family of four.
Also eligible are the following in households with somewhat higher income levels, depending on the group:
— Children.
— Pregnant women.
— Parents or caretakers.
— Supplemental Security Income recipients, including blind or disabled individuals.
— Certain Medicare beneficiaries.
Source: Nevada Medicaid
Nevada
28-year-old inmate at Southern Nevada prison dies
A man serving time at the Southern Desert Correctional Center for felony reckless driving died last month, the Nevada Department of Corrections said Tuesday.
Shiloh Walker, 28, died at the Indian Springs facility on Nov. 24, a news release said. Cause of death was not listed.
Walker was serving a sentence of up to six years after a plea agreement was reached in 2022 following a DUI crash that happened May 31, 2021 in Las Vegas, according to online court records.
An autopsy was requested following Walker’s death, though results were not available as of Monday evening. Attempts to reach Walker’s family members have been unsuccessful, according to the department.
Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.
Nevada
Is USPS breaking vow not to use Sacramento for Northern Nevada mail?
After widespread condemnation last year, the U.S. Postal Service backed away from plans to move its Reno mail-processing operations to Sacramento — but did it stay true to what it told the public?
The question arose recently after letters sent from one Carson City address to another in Carson City were both postmarked in Sacramento.
Northern Nevadans did not want first class mail sent from one Northern Nevada address to another going first to California. They sent a unified message to the USPS all the way up to the postmaster general.
Critics of the USPS plan were especially worried about delays from mail having to go back and forth over the Sierra during winter.
The Washoe County District Attorney’s office filed a lawsuit over the plan, the Washoe County Commission voted to oppose the plan, public comment was universally opposed, and Democratic and Republican elected officials from across the state joined to stop it.
Could it possibly have happened anyway? The answer is yes, temporarily, for a brief time.
How letters sent in Carson City came to be processed at Sacramento USPS facility
A reader told the Reno Gazette Journal they’d twice had letters internal to Carson City postmarked in Sacramento, so we asked USPS if the policy had changed.
“Mail processing for First Class mail that originates in Northern Nevada and is destined to Northern Nevada has not changed,” USPS spokesperson Sherry Patterson responded by email.
“However,” she added, “without the specific mail piece and class of mail, we cannot determined if there is an issue.”
The reader then supplied a photo of the two envelopes postmarked Nov. 5 in Sacramento, and this was shared with USPS.
“Our processing machine in Reno was temporarily out of service while we awaited a replacement part,” Patterson said after viewing the postmarks to nail down the specific date the letters went through Sacramento.
“To ensure that mail was not delayed during this time, we implemented a contingency plan that involved routing certain mail to our Sacramento facility for cancellation and processing. This measure allows us to maintain service continuity and minimize disruptions for our customers. We understand that this may cause some confusion, and we are committed to ensuring that all mail is processed efficiently and accurately.”
Bottom line: Regarding first class mail that’s being sent to and from Northern Nevada addresses, it’s still USPS policy to process that in Reno at its Vassar Street facility, she said.
The path these particular letters took, Patterson added, “is indeed an unusual occurrence.”
Mark Robison is the state politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal, with occasional forays into other topics. Email comments to mrobison@rgj.com or comment on Mark’s Greater Reno Facebook page.
Nevada
Holiday loneliness affects thousands in Nevada as many face Christmas away from loved ones
LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Loneliness has become a significant health issue for people everywhere, and the holiday season sometimes intensifies those feelings. For many, December looks like family gatherings, matching pajamas and bustling homes. But this time of year can also be very difficult for those who may be battling distance, work commitments or recent life changes.
Marc Valli, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam, has lived in Las Vegas since 1988. He moved to Nevada to join a ministry and be closer to his wife’s parents.
WATCH| Shellye Leggett talks to an army vet who’s recently moved into Escalante at the Lakes assisted living facility
Holiday loneliness affects thousands in Nevada as many face Christmas away from loved ones
“I wanted to come and join ministry here. Also my wife’s parents lived here,” Valli said.
Valli’s wife Barbara, known to friends and family as Bobby, passed away in 2018 after 54 years of marriage.
“I’m still counting the years. We’ve been married 54 years,” he said.
His children moved him into Escalante at the Lakes assisted living facility in June, making this his first holiday season in his new home.
“People are very nice, they treat you good,” Valli said.
Come Christmas Day, the facility’s common room will be filled with residents ready for holiday activities, but Valli hopes to get outside these walls to see his family that still lives nearby.
“I have grandkids. One goes to Cal Poly. He’s here right now, but he’s on vacation, and then I have two little granddaughters, one’s 11, one’s 7,” Valli said. “I don’t know if they’re gonna come for Christmas or I’m going there.”
Gus Farias, the executive director of Escalante at the Lakes Assisted Living, says many of his residents don’t have family nearby. Keeping their spirits high throughout the holidays is an important task.
“We can tell when our residents are feeling down. There’s a lot of pressure during the holidays because some of our residents don’t have families that are nearby, but they have us,” Farias said.
The organisation A Mission for Michael released a study showing just how many people are expected to spend the holidays alone this year. Nevada ranked 43rd on the list of loneliest states, with more than 212,000 people expected to spend Christmas by themselves.
“It’s pretty surprising that there’s so many Nevadans that are gonna spend the holidays by themselves,” Farias said.
He says combating loneliness will take a community effort.
“When you’re at the grocery store or whatever, reach, look back and ask them, you know, wish them a merry Christmas or happy holidays and ask them how they passed their holidays in the past because we, we as a younger generation than our seniors, we can learn a lot from that,” Farias said.
It’s an effort that Valli says makes the holidays a little brighter.
“Oh, it makes a big difference,” he said.
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