But the working group he appointed to devise a plan has yet to make recommendations. Meanwhile, Utah's ranks of uninsured are growing. They're finding it harder to get medical care and they're sicker than their neighbors with health coverage, shows a national report released Wednesday.

In Utah, the number of people going without health insurance grew from 250,000 in 2004 to 292,800 in 2005. Those are conservative state Health Department estimates. The U.S. Census puts the number higher, at 337,000 or 14 percent of the population.

Whichever number is accurate, state officials and advocates for health care reform agree it's too high, especially in light of the new data on growing health disparities between the insured and uninsured.

According to a report released Wednesday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 36 percent of Utah's adult uninsured population were unable to see a doctor in the past 12 months due to cost. That's up from 31 percent the year prior.

Also, Utah's uninsured are twice as likely to characterize their health as poor or fair than their insured counterparts.

Utah physician Joe Jarvis calls the foundation's findings "shameful," considering what U.S. citizens spend on health care. One proposal, rejected by state lawmakers this winter, would have allowed small-business owners to buy health insurance from a state-sponsored plan for public employees, said Jarvis, chairman of the advocacy group Utah Health Policy Project.

"The problem here is manageable," he said. "But all that has been done so far is talk."

Utah fares better than most states when it comes to accessing health care, the Robert Wood Johnson study shows. But on some indicators of women's health, the state does quite poorly.

About 36 percent of Utah's uninsured women, ages 18-64, have not had a cervical cancer screening in the past three years - a higher percentage than anywhere else in the nation. A whopping 61 percent of uninsured Utah women ages 40 to 64 have not undergone mammograms in two years - compared to 33 percent of insured women.

From a public health perspective, "this is as appalling as it is embarrassing," said Judi Hilman, Utah Health Policy Project director. Noting that cervical cancer is a "textbook" example of a disease that is almost completely preventable, Hilman said preventative screenings save money in the long run.

Utah Health Department Director David Sundwall was surprised by Utah's poor showing, but not overly alarmed.

"We need to do a better job educating the public about the importance of such screening" while also taking into consideration "Utah's very low death rates from cancer," he said.

Sundwall admitted the governor's working group on the uninsured has moved deliberatively, but he promised that Huntsman will have a "menu of [reform] options" to consider later this summer.

Any proposal will need buy-in from the Legislature.

But state Insurance Commissioner Kent Mitchie said lawmakers are warming to the idea of adopting reform similar to the "health care for all" plan taking wing in Massachusetts. Signed into law by Republican Gov. Mitt Romney, the plan requires all residents to purchase health insurance.

Another idea pitched by the Utah Health Insurance Association is gaining momentum, said Mitchie. The association's "play or pay" concept would require employers who don't cover their workers to pay into a state fund.

But Jarvis calls employer mandates "foolish" and cost-prohibitive for small businesses.

"The status quo in health care financing, using the so-called insurance model, is part of the problem, not the solution," said Jarvis. "The problem isn't that employers lack a mandate. It's that benefits cost too much and aren't worth the money that you pay for them."

kstewart@sltrib.com

Forgoing screenings

A new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found:

* Of uninsured Utah women ages 18-64, about 36 percent have not been screened for cervical cancer - the nation's highest percentage. Insured women: 21 percent.

* Of uninsured Utah men ages 40-64, almost 69 percent have not had a prostate cancer screening test. Insured men: 59 percent.