Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026
Are 1 in 4 Nevadans on Medicaid?
Medicaid, a joint federal and state program that helps cover medical costs for people on low incomes and those with disabilities, serves approximately 1 in 4 Nevadans — 800,000 people in a state with more than 3 million people.
Nevada’s Medicaid population has grown following the expansion of Medicaid in 2014. The state’s uninsured rate dropped from 22 percent in 2012 to 12 percent in 2015, and it saw the rate of uninsured children drop from 14.9 percent in 2013 to 7.6 percent in 2015.
The state’s uninsured rate is currently between 10 percent to 12 percent as of 2026.
Experts warn that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act could drive up the state’s uninsured rate not only by reducing the number of people covered by Medicaid through work requirements, but by adding restrictions to the state-run marketplace where the federal government heavily subsidizes premiums based on income.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Department of Health and Human Services Nevada’s Medicaid Enrollees, December 2024
- The Nevada Independent IndyFest: Insured rates up, but Nevada Medicaid still struggles decade after expansion
- The Nevada Independent A brief history of Medicaid in Nevada and the people who depend on it
- Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy Center for Children and Families Sharpest Decline in Child Uninsured Rate on Record but Most Think Rate Increasing or Staying Same
- The Nevada Independent GOP bill biggest health care shake-up since Obamacare. Here’s what it means in Nevada.
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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by newsrooms in the Gigafact network.
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The Nevada Independent is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news and opinion website founded in 2017 by veteran political journalist and commentator Jon Ralston. The site and its supporting channels are focused on ethical, unbiased and transparent journalism. In general, we aim to gather and disseminate important public information and increase civic engagement. We are supported by corporate donations, memberships, event ticket sales and sponsorships and foundation grants. We disclose all our members and donors. Donors have no influence over our content, ever. The Nevada Independent is the dba for Nevada News Bureau, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2010 by Elizabeth Thompson, who now serves as one of The Nevada Independent's managing directors and its Editor.
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