Part of its intrigue is that it is business-driven rather than government-driven. The challenge in the next few months will be to get the Utah Legislature, whose members already have balked at any hint of what they call "socialized medicine," to buy into this unique and creative universal health coverage model.

"The politics of health care have not factored in (to the study group's discussions)," said Bill Crim of the United Way of Salt Lake. "People have been asking the question, what will solve the problem? There has been a remarkable consensus on what it takes to fix the problem."

Crim and others involved in the project concede that the politics of health care reform is much harder to deal with than forging a policy that works. That the idea coming out of this working group was not a legislative initiative could increase the level of difficulty in passing the requisite legislation. But individual legislators, including House Majority Leader David Clark, R-Santa Clara, and Senate Majority Leader Curtis Bramble, R-Provo, have been involved in the discussions to formulate the plan.

The proposal, if enacted, would make Utah one of the leading states in the national movement toward universal health care coverage. It has been created by the Financial Stability Council, a group of about 130 leaders in business, government, education and faith-based organizations. The council was formed through the combined efforts of United Way and the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce.

At the same time, Gov. Jon Huntsman's office was also putting together a health care reform plan and began meeting with the Financial Stability Council to combine their efforts.

A key feature of the plan would be the Utah Health Insurance Exchange, said John T. Nielsen, a former Utah public safety commissioner and lobbyist for the health care industry who Huntsman asked to be his representative in health care reform efforts.

The exchange would be a state-chartered, not-for-profit corporation. It would act as a connector agency between small businesses and uninsured individuals on the one hand, and those insurance providers that are signed up with the exchange and that would best meet the needs of particular consumers. Because many insurance companies would belong to the exchange, it would spread the risk.

There also would be a government subsidy component for those unable to afford insurance, although nobody publicly wanted to discuss amounts until the plan can be fully vetted in the Legislature. One legislative source said figures being bandied about are in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Nielsen, while not naming a figure, said "it's doable." He acknowledged, though, that getting the Legislature to embrace it will be tough.

"It's going to take a lot of work to get everyone on board," he said. "There are those in the Legislature who view any attempt at expanded coverage as a slippery slope toward socialized medicine."

Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, said winning approval on Capitol Hill will be difficult, but still possible. "It's so new and there are so many moving parts, it could take a while."

"The goal is laudable," said House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy. "But there are a lot of details that need to be worked out. It will be an uphill climb because of the complexity."