This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Special to the Washington Post commentary this morning written by two policy-serious governors — one Republican and one Democrat — who worry that the bill that seems to be coming through the Senate to repeal and replace Obamacare will saddle the states with huge health care costs.
— A two-party approach to health care — John R. Kasich and John W. Hickenlooper | Special to The Washington Post | sltrib.com
" ... It is clear that the bill passed by the House in May will not meet the challenges of our health-care system. This bill calls into question coverage for the vulnerable, fails to provide the necessary resources to ensure that no one is left out and puts the health and well-being of millions of hard-working people in our states at risk, while shifting significant costs to the states. Medicaid provisions included in this bill are particularly problematic. ..."
The flaw in their argument, sadly, is that there is a solution to that problem. The kind of solution that H.L. Mencken rightly described as, "clear, simple, and wrong."
Here's betting Utah, rather than stepping up to absorb the costs that the feds used to pay, will just let thousands of us go uninsured. Hey, if you want access to health care, just stop being poor, you lazy slobs.
— In expanding Medicaid, Utah wants to make some enrollees work and cap their lifetime coverage — Alex Stuckey | The Salt Lake Tribune
"Utah health officials are proposing lifetime limits and work requirements for childless adults who would gain coverage under a Medicaid expansion plan, hoping the changes will help persuade the federal government to approve it.
"The proposals, announced Monday, also would affect some Utahns already covered by Medicaid — such as a new $25 copayment charged to beneficiaries who go to an emergency room when a sickness or injury is not an emergency.
"The state seeks to expand its Medicaid program to cover about 6,000 childless adults who are in three groups: those who are chronically homeless, going through the justice system or in need of mental health or substance-abuse treatment. ..."