Understanding Medicaid in Nevada: An Overview of the State’s Program and Financing, and the Implications of Changes at the Federal Level

Medicaid has a significant footprint in Nevada. As of May 2025, Nevada Medicaid covered 784,500 individuals, with an additional 35,230 children receiving coverage from Nevada Check Up, the state’s separate Children’s Health Insurance Program. Medicaid covers 60 percent of Nevada’s nursing home residents, 39 percent of its children, and 42 percent of all births.

Medicaid is both an expenditure and a source of federal revenue. In Nevada, Medicaid accounts for nearly one-quarter (24.9 percent) of the state's total biennial budget.

In July 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), which includes significant changes to the federal Medicaid program. The new law includes changes to how states can finance Medicaid, as well as changes to how recipients qualify and receive services.

This brief provides a high-level overview of Medicaid’s governance and financing at the national and state levels, focusing on how Nevada administers the program and how recent federal changes may shape eligibility, administration, and policy decisions.