ICYMI: Cortez Masto Meets with Nevada Health Care Providers About the Devastating Impacts of Trump’s Medicaid Cuts

In Case You Missed It, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) sat down with heads of Federally Qualified Health Centers from across Nevada to discuss their future needs, especially in light of President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill gutting Medicaid for Nevada's working families.

Las Vegas Sun, Ava Chatlosh: Nevada community health clinics fear downsizing as Medicaid changes take effect

Leaders of Nevada community health centers told U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto on Monday that new Medicaid rules in President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act could push more patients off coverage and strain the nonprofit clinics that care for them.

Representatives of eight federally qualified health centers said the law's added eligibility requirements could increase the number of uninsured Nevadans seeking primary care, potentially stretching already limited staff and resources.

FQHCs provide care to everyone regardless of insurance or ability to pay. They function as a safety net for people who can't afford care. Nevada's eight health centers serve nearly 130,000 people across the state, according to the Nevada Primary Care Association.

The health centers are funded through federal grants, state Medicaid programs and patient insurance reimbursements. In cases where someone is uninsured and unable to pay, the FQHCs shoulder the cost.

Steve Flores, CEO of Hope Christian Health Center, said it operated for years at a rate of 27% uninsured. Since February, the number of uninsured at Hope Christian Health Center has grown to 34%.

The nonprofits' executives expressed concerns that as more of the act's provisions take effect in January 2027, the rate of uninsured patients will continue to rise. If the costs get too high, panelists said they could be forced to downsize to make up for the difference.

"All of what we usually call the special sauce, the stuff that makes us different from normal providers, we would have to cut all of that," said Steve Messinger, policy director for Nevada Primary Care Association.

Flores said eligible patients have already stopped applying for Medicaid, because they believe they will not be eligible, even though all of the act's provisions have not yet taken effect.

"Some Medicaid patients think they've already been canceled," Flores said. "Some are not applying because they think they won't get it."

By 2034, the law is projected to cut federal Medicaid spending by approximately $1 trillion, largely by reducing enrollment. Community health centers expect to absorb much of the resulting demand from people who lose coverage.

"You're going to take a trillion out of here, and we're going to have to be back here asking you to help us pay for our uninsured," Messinger said.

The new requirements will create more frequent Medicaid eligibility checks and add community engagement criteria. More frequent renewals make it harder for enrollees to stay on Medicaid and increase administrative costs, which raise the burden for FQHCs, the panelists said.

"They've made it much harder because they want people to just give up and not try to be part of the Medicaid system," Cortez Masto said.

The new criteria require Medicaid expansion enrollees between 19 and 64 to complete 80 hours of work, school or community service per month to be eligible for Medicaid. An estimated 2.3 million people nationwide will lose Medicaid coverage as a result.

Panelists suggested several policy changes including removal of the six-month-renewal policy, an increase of the federal poverty level Medicaid threshold from 138% to 200% and an increase in funding for health centers to support those who will lose coverage.

"I'm guessing it's going to be much easier to double the size of the health center program from $5 billion to $10 billion than it is to reinsure all those who have been losing coverage," Messinger said.

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"The type of care that they're providing is necessary and needed in our community," Cortez Masto said. "We want them to continue to thrive."

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