PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 1, 2019
Salt Lake City, UT – Within the past week, Republican lawmakers have started to ram through a bill that would undo the full Medicaid expansion voters approved in November. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Allen Christensen, would repeal Prop 3 and instead require the state to apply for a federal waiver for a partial Medicaid expansion plan with enrollment caps and work requirements.
Today, Alliance for a Better Utah shared a Fiscal Fact Check prepared by the ABU Education Fund in response to the oft-repeated claim that the Legislature has no choice but to repeal Prop 3 because it would cost the state too much money. The Fiscal Fact Check can be found here.
“We hope that both members of the Legislature and members of the public will find this fiscal fact check helpful in distinguishing from truths and myths surrounding the Prop 3 debate,” said Lauren Simpson, policy director for Alliance for a Better Utah. “Right now, lots of individuals are throwing around competing statistics and projections for what full Medicaid expansion would mean for our state. We call on all of our elected officials to cite their sources.”
“The evidence overwhelmingly suggests that Utah has the capacity to expand Medicaid. At the end of the day, the effort to repeal Prop 3 isn’t about the money– it’s about the fact that Utah legislators are fundamentally opposed to full Medicaid expansion.”
Alliance for a Better Utah is also reminding voters that letting enrollment for full Medicaid expansion open on April 1st, as intended under Proposition 3, would result in coverage for 150,000 Utahns. The countdown clock until that time can be found here.
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Alliance for a Better Utah is a good government advocacy and watchdog organization based in Salt Lake City. The organization works to improve the lives of all Utahns by ensuring balance, transparency, and accountability in Utah politics, policy, and government. More information at www.betterutah.org.