State Senate Minority Leader Robin Titus sounded a bit incredulous on Nevada Newsmakers recently when talking about how some Democrats at the Nevada Legislature worry about almost $2 billion in possible cuts to Medicaid -- while at the same time -- push a bill that would give more than $100 million annually in film tax credits to an influential group wanting to build a TV/movie production studio in Las Vegas.

"One of the ironies of this whole session is the Democrats have been hammering, hammering Trump and Republicans about possible reductions to Medicaid," Titus, R-Wellington, told host Sam Shad.

"But at the same time, they introduce a $150 million transferable tax credit program for the film industry. Now, if that's not irony ... I will tell you that (proposed movie studio) will cover the Medicaid costs."

Some lawmakers in Carson City fear that the Trump Administration could cut as much as $1.9 billion in Medicaid assistance to Nevada.

"I've been raising red flags at some of my colleagues that this could be disastrous for the state of Nevada," said Speaker of the Assembly Steve Yeager, D-Las Vegas, in a recent Nevada Newsmakers interview. "I'm a little disappointed that some of my Republican colleagues have tried to downplay what this could mean. And in fact, some say, well, Medicaid's not going to get cut. It's just not going to happen."

At the same session, Assembly members Sandra Jauregui, D-LV, and Daniele Monroe-Moreno, D-North LV, introduced a bill that would give an estimated $120 million annually in film tax credits for a movie studio to be built in the Summerlin community of Las Vegas.

The plan is backed by Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros. Discovery and Howard Hughes Holdings. The Legislature approved a $10-million annual plan for film tax credits in 2023. But proponents of the 2025 bill say that Las Vegas could become a mecca for film and TV productions with more help from state government.

"The fact that they (Democrats) would even introduce it (film tax credit bill), knowing that we were going to have to make sure that we take care of our folks (on Medicaid), is just beyond belief to me that they would even introduce it," said Titus, a licensed medical doctor serving rural Nevada.

Titus also feels it's ridiculous the way some lawmakers fawn over movie celebrities when the stars come to Carson City to promote the expansion of the movie industry in Nevada.

Stars such as Nicolas Cage, Jeremy Renner and Mark Wahlberg all paid visits to the Legislature in 2023 to lobby for that session's bill for film tax credits and took pictures with lawmakers.

"You will never see me in a picture with a actor or actress because I'm just not star struck," Titus said. "I just really feel we need to focus on Nevada and what's best for Nevadans."

Titus is not buying any rosy economic projections for the movie/TV studio that have been given to lawmakers.

An analysis from PFM Consulting given to the Assembly Committee on Revenue predicted that when considering all aspects of the economy -- not just state or local tax revenue -- but job creation, local spending and investing, the return is estimated to be about $25 for every dollar of the tax credit.

"There's a lot of data out there, right now," Titus said. "And according to the folks that I respect, when it comes to economic revenue, their figures say that for every dollar invested in this, in the film credits, you only get about 50 cents back.

"We just cannot justify that," Titus continued. "So in my mind, that's kind of D.O.A (dead on arrival)."

Possibility of trimming Medicaid

Sen. Titus said she will work to save Medicaid but says there's a possibility some people will be cut from the program of health care for the poor.

"I, for one, will try to protect Medicaid as best we can during this budget process because we don't want to see any cuts to Medicaid," she said. "Will we adjust who's enrolled in Medicaid? Perhaps."

Titus said both Medicare and Medicaid have "waste, fraud and abuse."

"We've had a lot of discussion since our very first budget hearing when we started in Las Vegas," she said. "It's a lot of discussions and there's a lot of waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicaid and Medicare systems and a lot of folks don't know the difference between the two, and they use them interchangeably, and they are not at all.

"Medicare is for the seniors," Titus continued. "It's our Social Security. I'm on Medicare.

"Medicaid is aid programs to help those who are not on Medicare," Titus said. "They are younger. So we see it for children and we see it for moms and we see it in long term care facilities (for elderly). "

If cuts come to Medicaid, the first group to be scrutinized will be "childless adults," Titus said.

"The thing that happened during the Covid years is we had a Medicaid expansion, where we included in the Medicaid roles, childless adults, which  had never happened before.

"Our state chose to join that," Titus said. "There were 12 states who chose not to, so they're not in the same situation we are.

"Because now, if we're rolling back on Medicaid, what the federal government does and allots for us, they're going to look first at the childless adults.

Many of the "childless adults," have jobs, Titus said.

"Doing some research, we have found that many of those folks are people who are actually working," she said.

So we're looking at people who work for Walmart," she said. "The biggest Medicaid enrollees are Amazon employees, and then we have the State of Nevada employees," she said. "And so, looking at some of those folks, indeed, they may be removed from the Medicaid roles when they cut back."

There are other groups that should not be cut, Titus said.

"Most of our births are through Medicaid," she said. "Many of our moms and children are on Medicaid. Those folks really need those services, and I'm not saying the childless adults don't, we better look at how else to pay for that."

Titus said those cutbacks would result in "millions and millions of dollars in savings."