Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023
Do Nevada casinos have employees on Medicaid?
Ninety-one Nevada employers have at least 500 people (employees plus their dependents) who receive Medicaid benefits. As suggested in testimony to the Nevada Assembly Committee on Government Affairs, of those 91 employers, 29 (about one-third) are large casino operators. The Medicaid benefits paid to the families of these casino employees cost nearly $106 million in 2022.
Medicaid is a federal-state program that provides medical benefits to people with lower incomes. In Nevada, households with annual incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level may qualify for Medicaid. This is $16,753 per year for an individual or $34,638 for a family of four.
Amazon and Walmart are Nevada’s largest employers and they top the list with the most Medicaid recipients —more than 24,000 between them, costing over $87 million last year. Among government employers, the Clark County School District and the State of Nevada are in the top 10.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Google Docs NV Medicaid data - employers with 500 or more recipients, 2022
- Nevada Health Link NV Medicaid eligibility information
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