On Monday, state health officials set up an account to receive private donations toward the cause of providing basic dental services to 40,000 elderly, blind and disabled Medicaid clients. Spokesman Cody Craynor stressed the health department is not soliciting pledges, but acting merely as a conduit for the money.
Driving the fundraising effort is Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., who needs $1 million in order to collect on an anonymous philanthropist's $1 million challenge grant. The donations, coupled with a federal match of $4.6 million, will be used to pay for exams, extractions, fillings and root canals for Utah's "most vulnerable" says Huntsman.
Some low-income advocates have questioned the practice of draining charitable resources to prop up government programs.
"We don't want this to become a habit," said Judi Hilman, executive director of the Utah Alliance for Health Policy Solutions.
But in announcing his bailout plan last week, Huntsman said that he has no other choice.
Republican legislative leaders declined to fund so-called "optional" dental and vision services this year, arguing Medicaid costs are spiraling out of control. Huntsman asked lawmakers to rethink the decision at a special legislative session in May, but they refused.
Citizens, businesses and foundations interested in contributing need to act soon. Adults on Medicaid lose their coverage on July 1, the start of the new fiscal year.
One word of warning: Donors must designate in writing that their money be used for fiscal year 2007.
This can be done with a simple note in the "memo" line on a personal check. Contributions are tax deductible, according to the Utah Attorney General's Office.
kstewart@sltrib.com
Poor losing coverage
* What's at stake: On July 1, tens of thousands of Medicaid patients lose their dental coverage. To restore coverage for the most vulnerable, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. is soliciting donations and needs $1 million.
* What you can do: Mail a donation to the Utah Health Department, c/o Fiscal Operations, P.O. Box 144002, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4002. Make your checks payable to "Medicaid Optional Services Account" and include a note designating the donation for fiscal year 2007.
