Political Quotes

“I rise today to talk about my amendment, Heller amendment No. 288. My amendment reinforces the important role Medicaid has played in my home State and in the States of many of my colleagues here today. Let me explain the impact Medicaid has had on the State of Nevada. As many of you know, the State of Nevada was the first to expand Medicaid. Before Nevada made that decision, the State's uninsured rate was at 23 percent, and it was one of the highest in the country. So think about that for a minute. One in four Nevadans did not have healthcare coverage. Under expanded Medicaid today, Nevadans' uninsured rate is between 11 percent and 12 percent. I have also seen the number of uninsured people living in Nevada's rural communities cut in half, and I have seen major gains with the number of children in our State with healthcare coverage. In fact, Nevada has seen one of the most significant decreases in uninsured children in the country. In 2013, our State had the highest rate of uninsured children in the country. We were ranked 50th in the nation. Now I can proudly say that Nevada is the most improved State when it comes to addressing our rates of uninsured children. Our State has made significant progress since the State's decision to expand Medicaid, and that has made a big impression on me. Over the past few months, I have had the privilege of meeting with Nevadans here in Washington, DC, as well as back home, to discuss healthcare.…”