Rory Reid: Healthcare reform could end up hurting Nevada

Gubernatorial candidate Rory Reid (D) said Thursday that the new health reform law could hurt Nevada.

During a televised debate, Rory Reid, the son of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), said he does not support the legal challenges against the health overhaul. Yet, he does believe that President Obama’s signature achievement could negatively affect Nevada.

“I don’t deny, however,” Rory Reid said, “that Nevada needs to be vigilant on this issue. The law that was passed gives time for the new system to go into effect, but there is potential for it to put significant pressure on states because Medicaid rates could go up significantly.”

Rory Reid then made the case for his proposed Medicaid reforms.

Sen. Reid, who is facing a challenging reelection race against Sharron Angle, played a leading role in the passage of healthcare reform. He pressed Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) in 2009 to alter the health bill in order to increase the federal money allocated for Nevada.

Brian Sandoval, Rory Reid’s GOP challenger, said during the debate — which was televised live by C-SPAN – that he supports the litigation against the health law. Sandoval added that the law is causing premiums to increase, saying, “That’s why that law needs to go away.”

Sandoval also endorsed Arizona’s border security law while Rory Reid made the case for comprehensive immigration reform.

Both the Reid-Sandoval and Reid-Angle matchups are considered tossups.

UPDATE AT 1:36 p.m.: Some readers have questioned the assertion that the Reid-Sandoval matchup is a tossup. The Cook Political Report has pegged the race a tossup while Real Clear Politics has the contest in its “Likely GOP” column.