That's the good news.
The bad news is that Congress is working on a federal budget for next year that could impose significant fiscal pain on the state of Utah and many of its most vulnerable residents, including, yes, children. Consider that under the budget approved by the House of Representatives, funding for the Medicaid program, which provides health care to the elderly, the disabled and low-income families, would be cut by as much as $20 billion over the next five years.
Utah stands to lose as much as $113 million over that time. A cut of that magnitude will lead directly to reductions in benefits and a cut in the number of Utahns who are covered. In other words, while the state managed to find funding to expand coverage for thousands of kids this week, Congress is preparing a budget that will lead to cuts in services and coverage for far more Utahns in coming years.
It's called passing the buck and Utahns of all political leanings should be concerned. The federal action is particularly troubling given Utah's recent budget struggles.
In recent years, during a challenging economy, Utah lived within its means as state leaders made tough fiscal decisions. That discipline is beginning to pay off. This year, tax revenues increased substantially and the state's budget distress has eased.
During that same time, Congress flooded the nation in red ink. Now, it proposes to make major cuts in domestic programs that assist our most vulnerable populations. Along with the cut in Medicaid, the House budget would make painful reductions in programs for the disabled, foster care, food stamps, child support enforcement and childhood nutrition.
Taken together, these cuts could do great harm to many children and their families.
The House budget would even cut the benefits of the Earned Income Tax Credit. This program, which has enjoyed broad bipartisan support, provides important tax relief to working families and is considered the single most effective program to pull these working families out of poverty.
In all, Utah could see federal assistance for this array of crucial programs cut by more than $200 million over the next five years, according to estimates by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington.
These cuts in programs that assist the elderly, the disabled and low-income families with children come even as Congress is pushing ahead to extend two rounds of tax cuts that largely benefit the most affluent Americans.
There is no way that Utah will be able to absorb cuts of that magnitude. Nor should it have to; it's simply wrong for the federal government to force the state to use its hard-earned surplus to fill the holes created by shortsighted and unfair congressional actions.
Make no mistake: The needs of our vulnerable populations remain great. Thirteen percent of the state's residents lack health insurance. Among those are 54,000 children, according to the state health department. (The U.S. Census says the actual number is 35 percent higher.)
We know that many of these kids will miss out on medical care, not just preventive care but treatment for illnesses such as sore throats and asthma. Inadequate medical care often leads to missed school days and poor academic performance.
By expanding the reach of CHIP, state leaders recognize how vital health care is to the overall well-being of our kids and we salute those state leaders for addressing the problem of the uninsured.
We also recognize Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who was a leader in the effort to create the CHIP program and who was on hand for Wednesday's bill signing. But Sen. Hatch's work is not done. It is time for him, along with Sen. Robert Bennett and all of our elected officials in Washington, to work for a federal budget built on the right priorities.
That means a budget that does not pass the buck to Utah and the other states and that protects necessary programs for children and other vulnerable populations.
For the sake of Utah's families and kids, Congress can and must do better.
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Karen Crompton is executive director of Voices for Utah Children, a child advocacy group.
