Source: CVDaily Feed
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SALT LAKE CITY – Nearly nine out of 10 Utahans support Gov. Gary Herbert’s plan that would help about 60,000 uninsured people in the state get health coverage, according to a new poll.
Lincoln Nehring, senior health policy analyst for Voices for Utah Children, said the Healthy Utah Poll shows 88 percent support for Herbert’s “Healthy Utah” plan, over the option of doing nothing to help those without health insurance.
“If there’s one big takeaway from this,” he said, “it’s that Utahns absolutely do not support the state doing nothing, sitting on their hands. They’re absolutely opposed.”
Nehring said the Healthy Utah plan would help people whose incomes are too high to qualify for Medicaid and too low to qualify for government subsidies to purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Herbert’s plan would use federal money available for Medicaid expansion to provide subsidies, for those eligible, to purchase private health insurance.
Nehring said he is hopeful that the governor will call the Legislature into Special Session this summer and push for passage of the Healthy Utah plan.
“What I hope this does is demonstrates to the Legislature that there really is a desire among Utahns to do something, and do something quickly,” he said, “and that the Legislature should strongly consider the governor’s wishes to get something done here, before the end of the year.”
The poll considered the views of 623 voters in Utah and was sponsored by several organizations including the Utah Hospital Association and Voices for Utah Children. The results are online at utahchildren.org.