This month, I will be starting my journey as a medical student at the University of Utah School of Medicine. I’m excited and honored to receive my medical training here in Utah, where I was born and raised, but I have one concern as I look forward — whether or not I’ll be able to treat all my patients who need care.
This November, Utahns, including myself, will make a key decision regarding our health care system — which directly impacts my ability to treat patients. The story began in 2010, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that while the Affordable Care Act would become law, Medicaid expansion would be optional — and after years of discussion, Utah opted out. This decision created a coverage gap for hardworking Utahns with chronic conditions, many of whom have families.
As a future physician, I want to make sure that I have the largest impact possible in taking care of my patients. This means that whether you need a routine surgery so that you can get back to work and take care of your family, or you need a colonoscopy because you want to take preventive measures against cancer, you should be able to get that care no matter what.
To date, I have observed in my exposure to the medical field that oftentimes uninsured patients end up being seen, but through unnecessary visits to the emergency room – which is an extremely expensive place to receive care. Or, they’re treated in hospitals which then “write off” the cost of their visits as “uncompensated care,” and those costs are then shifted to Utah businesses and the people who buy health insurance in the form of higher premiums.
To me, Proposition 3, which expands health care to 150,000 Utahns, is the most viable option on the table. Frankly, it’s the most “Utah” way to do it, too. By increasing the state sales tax on non-food items by 0.15 percent, we all can do our part to fund the state’s portion of this program — $90 million. That investment unlocks the $800 million in federal money that’s currently set aside for Utah but that we’ve been losing out on for years.
This sales tax only applies to non-food purchases and comes out to about a penny on a movie ticket. I don’t know about you, but I just watched The Incredibles 2 and I would be more than willing to pay an extra penny on that movie ticket so that 150,000 Utahns could get access to health care coverage.
These Utahns are the people that I will be treating as a physician in a few short years, and I want to make sure that, through Medicaid expansion, my fellow Utahns can get access to care they need.
For years, opposition has argued that the risks of expansion outweigh the benefits, but what we know to be true from other states, such as Colorado and Michigan, is that Medicaid expansion led to significant job growth and decreased spending on uncompensated care. The economic advantage to Utah isn’t a projection – it’s a reality.
By voting yes on Prop 3, Utah voters can have a say in their local politics and have the opportunity bring home $800 million of federal funding back to our state. Medicaid Expansion will help us avoid unnecessary ER visits and cost-shifting, and will have a historic impact on the health of our community. As a future physician, I am thankful for the opportunity that YOU and I will have on Nov. 6 to expand health care to 150,000 of our friends and neighbors, and my future patients.
Naveen Rathi is an incoming medical student at the University of Utah School of Medicine.