Dive Brief:
- Utah's House Republicans are expected to reject the most recent proposal to expand Medicaid to tens of thousands of low-income state residents, following a closed-door caucus Tuesday.
- If passed, Utah Access Plus would receive about about $450 million from the federal government and require healthcare providers including doctors, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies to cover the majority of Utah’s share though the payment of higher taxes and fees.
- If rejected, the state faces the question of whether to come up with an alternative, and what that might be.
Dive Insight:
The concept for Utah Access Plus appears to have even less support than its predecessor, Healthy Utah--a similar plan that was previously killed by House Republicans.
The state would have to come up with about $50 million to bring in the $450 million in federal funding to subsidize coverage for about 95,000 low-income Utah residents.
If there isn't enough support among House Republicans, legislators will be pressed on whether to work toward an alternative or give up on the potential federal funding.
State Democrats support Utah Access Plus and are pushing for an open debate, reports The Washington Times.