As the Utah State Senate voted 21-8 to bring Healthy Utah to a third and final reading on Tuesday, February 25, many senators took the opportunity to stand and make long speeches about the reasoning behind their vote. The most intense and ironic of these was from rabid Healthy Utah opponent Allen Christensen, who ironically stated with an emotional appeal that "We're not talking about voting with emotion, we're talking about voting with the facts."So let's examine the facts of the differences between Healthy Utah and Christensen's SB 153:
Healthy Utah will bring coverage to 47,000 Utahns in the coverage gap. SB 153 will leave 46,000 without coverage.
Healthy Utah returns over $2 billion in Utah taxpayer dollars to the state. SB 153 rejects all federal funding and is paid for entitely by the state, with a higher cost per patient than any other proposal.
Rejecting Healthy Utah will in no way contribute to deficit reduction, as the money currently paid by Utah tax payers will then go to Medicaid expansion in other states.
Healthy Utah is the result of two years worth of study and deliberation by top state and federal officials as well as the medical community and insurance industry. SB 153 was unveiled in a single afternoon by a small committee of legislators with no public feedback and recommended in a partisan vote.
The Utah Hospital Association has conditionally pledged $22 million per year in support of Healthy Utah.
SB 157 covers only the "medically frail" and therefore does not accomplish providing routine and preventive care.
No state which has expanded Medicaid has experienced "crowding out" those covered by traditional Medicaid.
The agreement with the federal government allows Utah to back out of Healthy Utah if the federal government does not fulfill its commitment.
Despite fears from Healthy Utah opponents that employers will drop employee coverage as a result of Healthy Utah, strict federal penalties are are in place (including fines of up to $2,000 per employee dropped) for employers who drop coverage. No state which has expanded Medicaid has yet experienced employers dropping coverage.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints issued a statement supporting a compassionate solution to the coverage gap issue involving consideration from both the public and private sector. Healthy Utah is the only current proposal developed by cooperation between the public and private sectors.
Research by Harvard University has determined that an average of 316 Utahns will die per year without coverage.
Healthy Utah is supported by:
The Salt Lake County Council
United Way of Salt Lake
Intermountain Healthcare
Molina Medical
University of Utah MedicalCenter
IASIS Healthcare, Mountain Region
MountainStar Healthcare
Association For Utah Community Health
Association of Substance Abuse Providers
National Association of Social Workers
University of Utah Healthcare
Utah Academy of Family Physicians
Utah Academy of Physician Assistants
Utah Association of Addiction Treatment Providers
Utah Association of Local Health Departments
Utah Chapter American Academy of Pediatrics
Utah Healthcare Association
Utah Hospital Association
Utah Medical Association
Utah Nurse Practitioners
Rural Hospital Network
Utah Nurses Association
Utah Occupational Therapy Association
Utah Public Health Association
University of Utah Health Plans
AARP Utah
Alzheimer's Association
American Cancer Society-Cancer Action Network
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association
Catholic Community Services
Coalition of Religious Communities
Community Action Partnership
Community Action Partnership
Diabetes Association
Disability Law Center
First Step House
Legislative Coalition For People With Disabilities
National Alliance on Mental Illness - UT (NAMI)
National Association of Social Workers
National MS Society
National Tongan Association of Utah
New Frontiers for Families
Odyssey House
Peace and Justice Commission
Pioneer Park Coalition
Planned Parenthood of Utah
Susan G. Komen
Utah Citizen's Council
Utah Health Decisions
Utah Health Policy Project
Utah Housing Coalition
Utah Pride Center
Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness (USARA)
Utah Women's Health Coaltion
Voices For Utah Children
Women's State Legislative Coalition
Sentencing Comission
Utah Substance Abuse Advisory Council
Utah Chiefs of Policy Association
Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice
Utah Law Enforcement Legislative Committee
HealthInsight
Leavitt Group
Salt Lake Chamer
Provo/Orem Chamber of Commerce
South Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce
Ogden/Weber Chamber of Commerce
Utah Food Industry Association
Utahn Manufacturers Association
Utah Mining Association
Utah Retail Merchants Association
Gail Miller, Larry H. Miller Group
Karen Hunstman
Lane Beattie, Salt Lake Chamber
Mark Miller, Mark Miller Dealerships
Associated General Contractors
Harmon's Pharmacies
Smith's Pharmacies
SB 153 is supported by:
Sen. Allen Christensen
So, I guess for once Sen. Christensen and I agree. Let's vote with the facts.
No comments:
Post a Comment