Shaping Nevada’s Future: Key Cancer and Healthcare Bills to Watch in the 2025 Legislative Session

The 85th Nevada Legislative Session has begun and will run for 120 days through June 2, 2025. Led by the work of our coalition members and collaborative workgroups, NCC advocates for best-practice policies to prevent and control cancer and provide equitable access to care for all.

This includes:

• Promoting healthy behaviors to reduce chronic disease.
• Instituting preventive activities within communities and across the state.
• Increasing equitable access to and funding for early detection, clinical health care, and palliative care services.
• Advocating for tobacco and e-cigarette prevention and control.
• Building public and private health care infrastructure, including data collection and cancer surveillance.

Evidence-based policy strategies are included in the Nevada Cancer Plan and developed by collaboratives. During Nevada’s legislative session, NCC informs Nevadans of cancer-related policy and advocacy issues and provides a platform for discussion and action. As such, we track bills that impact cancer control in our state, and coordinate action needed from our partners and stakeholders.

Current cancer screening bills include:

• AB234 sponsored by Assemblymember Natha Anderson will make revisions to Medicaid by aligning Nevada's statutory requirements with cancer screenings covered by the Affordable Care Act and provide parity to Medicaid beneficiaries for screening options. This would include coverage for lung and prostate cancer screening and colorectal screening based on all evidence-based methods available.
• SB170 Revises provisions relating to industrial insurance, requiring a firefighter or volunteer firefighter to submit to an annual cancer screening for certain industrial insurance coverage for cancer, revises provisions of physical exams required of certain firefighters, arson investigators and police officers for certain industrial insurance coverage for lung disease and heart disease.
• Bill (BDR unknown) sponsored by Senator Lange will codify lung cancer screening as a covered benefit to be paid by all insurers and health plans in Nevada.

Health Insurance Bills

• AB52 Revises provisions related to the payment of health insurance claims and time allowed to deny or approve claims, and make payments.
• AB74 Reduces the time an insurer has to respond to a request for prior authorization from within 20 days after the insurer received the request to: 1) within 2 business days of submission of the request if it involved urgent health care services; and 2) within 5 business days of submission of the request if it does not involve urgent health care services.
• SB9 Requires insurers that cover people eligible for medical assistance under Medicaid to response to an inquiry regarding a claim for payment within 60 days after receiving the inquiry, and prohibits insurers from denying a claim submitted by the state agency solely on the basis of lack of prior authorization if the state agency authorized the medical item or service.
• SB97 Requires the state's health insurance exchange to apply for a federal waiver to provide insurance coverage options for immigrants.
• SB128 Prohibits health insurers from using AI for prior authorization and prohibits health insurers from deny prior authorization on the grounds the care isn’t medically necessary or experimental/investigational.
• SB149 Requires the Department of Health and Human Services to select and contract with a state pharmacy benefit manager to manage pharmacy benefits for Medicaid and certain other benefit plans.
• SB185 Requires Medicaid reimbursement for family members caring for an individual with disability or chronic illness.

Other Bills Affecting Cancer Control, Public Health, or Healthcare

• AB76 Revises provisions relating to cannabis and specifically in Section 51. NRS 202.2483 opens up the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act to allow “The smoking of cannabis in accordance with the provisions of title 56 of NRS and the regulations adopted pursuant thereto is not prohibited in a cannabis consumption lounge.”
• SB34 Adopts multiple interstate compacts for healthcare licensing including physician assistants, nurses, audiology and speech language, physical therapists and occupational therapists.
• SB186 Requires a medical facility or healthcare provider using generative AI to disclose the use of such technology.
• SB189 Provides for the licensure and regulation of genetic counselors by the Board of Medical Examiners, prescribes requirements for the issuance and renewal of license in Nevada, authorizing the Board to take actions to investigate and discipline, provides description of “genetic counseling” and allows for a physician or physician assistant who engages in genetic counseling as part of his/her practice of medicine is NOT required to obtain a license as a genetic counselor.

We will send out periodic updates on the progress of these and other bills, as well as action information on how partners can support this work.

NCC has also signed on in support of several bills making their way through the U.S. Congress. Here are a few recent bills:

US 119/H.R. 1300 To amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act to require group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group or individual health insurance coverage to provide coverage for prostate cancer screenings without the imposition of cost-sharing requirements, and for other purposes.

Sponsors: Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. Rep. Murphy, Gregory F. Rep. Carter, Troy A.

H.R. 2407 842 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of multi-cancer early detection screening tests.

Sponsor: Rep. Jodey Arrington.

Note: NCC does not use state or federal funds to engage in lobbying.