Utah Faces Off With Obama Over Health Care Reform

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Huffington Post

Utah Faces Off With Obama Over Health Care Reform
Posted: 01/03/2013 4:16 pm EST | Updated: 01/03/2013 4:30 pm EST

President Barack Obama's administration has given a tentative go-ahead to Utah to allow the state to operate its own health insurance exchange under the federal health care reform law, but it has made clear that the state will have to go beyond the services it already offers.

Utah and Massachusetts are the only states that already had health insurance exchanges in place before Obamacare became law in 2010. But unlike the exchange in Massachusetts, Utah's exchange doesn't perform crucial functions intended by the federal health law, and Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) doesn't want the state to take on core responsibilities such as distributing health insurance tax credits to lower- and middle-class people. Utah and six other states received conditional approval Thursday, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced during a conference call with reporters.

Herbert will consider the Obama administration's conditions that the state beef up its health insurance exchange, called Avenue H, but Utah isn't committing to making major changes, according to Ally Isom, Herbert's deputy chief of staff.

“Utah’s position on our state health exchange has not changed and it will not change. Because it’s consumer-driven, market-based and flexible, Utah’s model is the right solution for Utah," Isom said in a written statement. "Of course we’ll review the HHS announcement and determine if the conditions are acceptable or reasonable for our state exchange -- and that includes sitting down with legislators -- but there is nothing about Utah’s path that changes as a result of today’s announcement.”


Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/03/utah-health-care-reform_n_2403294.html?utm_hp_ref=business

[BlueNoteSpecial]

1. "acceptable, and reasonable"?, Utah?, really?, Utah? lmao...

[DreamGypsy]

2. Some interesting documents are available as links from the huffpost article

In particular, the letter sent by Governor Herbert to the President: http://www.scribd.com/doc/116430186/PPACA-Fiscal-Cliff-Letter-to-the-President

and a list of questions about the implementation of the Utah plan: http://www.scribd.com/doc/117553067/Advocates-critique-of-Utah-s-exchange-plan

The questions were provided by a group of 'advocate' organizations:

AARP of Utah
The Association of Utah Community Health
The Disability Law Center
NAMI Utah
Utah Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Voices for Utah Children

Examples of the questions include:

The majority of Utah’s uninsured children are income eligible for Medicaid and CHIP,but not enrolled. How will the Exchange help these children access and enroll in coverage?

What policies can be established that will ensure continuity of care for individuals moving between public programs and private coverage on the Exchange?