State employees call for health care reform

Nevada state employees held a rally Friday in front of the Legislature, urging lawmakers to improve the workers' health care coverage.

By the time the rally was held, many Southern Nevada legislators already were heading back to Las Vegas for the weekend. But that didn't deter dozens of picketers, who held signs reading "Nevada Workers and Their Families Deserve Respect" and "Honk for Health Care Reform."

Scott MacKenzie, executive director of the State of Nevada Employees Association, said all of Nevada's 200,000 public employees - state, county and local - should be pooled together so they have more buying power and can get lower rates on health insurance.

MacKenzie said that two years ago premiums and deductibles went up, and while the situation is slightly better now, legislators need to eliminate uncertainty.

"We can't have this pendulum swinging back and forth," he said, noting the legislators last session did take some steps to at least study what savings could be achieved by pooling employees together.

"Just because things are OK now that doesn't mean it's time to drop the ball," he said.

Jan Albert, a rally participant who has worked for the state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation for three years, said she came on behalf of herself and all other state workers.

"A lot of state employees don't make a lot of money, but it costs everyone the same to go to the doctor," she said.