Inside Politics - November 2008

Healthcare Reform Gets Political

Expect increased oversight of the medical community

by Michael Sullivan

While the economy and budget shortfalls are sure to take center stage at the next session of the Nevada Legislature, not far behind will be healthcare reform.

In the wake of one of Nevada’s worst medical disasters, the Hepatitis C scare at several Las Vegas endoscopy clinics, lawmakers will certainly be looking for ways to provide more oversight of the medical community during the 2009 Legislature.

That mission will be increasingly difficult as there are no additional funds available to hire more investigators and personnel to review records. This has not stopped the several bills already offered, certainly some regulatory framework will be discussed when Legislators meet in February 2009.

Leading reform activities for the Democrats are Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, chair of the Assembly Health Committee and Senator Steven Horsford, a member of the Health and Human Resources Committee. Both have been outspoken about the business of healthcare obstructing the provision of quality medical services.

“It seems obvious that we need to look first at requiring more frequent and more comprehensive inspections,” said Leslie.

Senator Joe Heck, a doctor who was serving a tour in Iraq when the Hepatitis C scare first broke, is at the forefront of the Republican Party’s efforts. Even before he returned to Nevada, he sent a letter to the interim health committee about the crisis:

“I am currently practicing in a Third World location and I can assure you that such blatant disregard for patient safety and standards of care do not even occur in remote and austere environments,” Heck wrote.

Heck has also said he will push for annual inspections of all ambulatory clinics in Nevada, requiring also that the clinics pay for those inspections.

While doctors will eagerly collaborate with lawmakers on crafting legislation, it is not likely they will support additional government oversight, especially if it is to be their financial responsibility.

The fact that the practices which led to numerous patients contracting Hepatitis C were known beforehand, the medical community suffered a loss of public trust, almost assuring that this session of the Legislature will not be their shining hour.

At press time the race to control the Nevada Senate was far from over. The future of healthcare reform legislation in the Nevada remains unknown until the election results are compiled, but one thing is for certain, the reforms will be politically motivated and will likely include increased oversight of the medical community.

Michael Sullivan
Michael Sullivan is president of Knight Consulting, a Southern Nevada government affairs firm.