#StillWaiting for Utah Medicaid Expansion
In 2010 the Affordable Care Act (ACA) (“Obamacare”) was signed into law with the hope of guaranteeing access to healthcare for all Americans regardless of income. The ACA extends health coverage through insurance subsidies and, if the State approves, an expansion of Medicaid, a federal-state program that helps low-income people access health insurance. To date, 22 states have yet to adopt Medicaid expansion, including Utah, leaving more than 4 million Americans and 66,000 Utahns without access to quality, affordable healthcare.
In December 2014 Governor Gary Herbert released his version of Medicaid expansion known as “Healthy Utah” to close the coverage gap and bring taxpayer dollars back to Utah. Unfortunately, after being introduced by the Governor and passed by the Senate, the bill was left to die in the House without a single hearing or vote. “The Donut Hole: Life in the Medicaid Coverage Gap” was created by two medical students at the University of Utah to share just a few stories of the 66,000 Utahns who, after 5 years, are #StillWaiting for health coverage.
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