Friday, January 23, 2015

A Call for Weber County Forum Citizen Action: Sign the Support Healthy Utah Petition

Call on state legislators to act now so 89,000 Utahns who are struggling will have access to affordable health coverage

In the interest of spurring a little much-needed Weber County Forum citizen action, we'll highlight this morning's strong Salt Lake Tribune op-ed, wherein AARP Utah state director Alan Ormsby sets forth why his organization supports Governor Herbert's "Healthy Utah" mini-Medicaid expansion plan, which, despite recent Utah legislative setbacks, still remains on the table, as we approach the upcoming 2015 Utah legislative session. Here's Mr. Ormsby's "pitch," in a nutshell:
[The Governor's plan would drive] down the cost of uncompensated care by providing more Utahans with access to affordable health coverage could save the state as much as $51 million a year.
Bottom line: The Healthy Utah Plan makes smart economic sense for our state, while giving tens of thousands of hard-working Utahns the opportunity to stay healthy and build financial security.
We applaud Gov. Herbert for his tireless work to find a Utah solution to this critically important issue — and we call on state legislators to act now so 89,000 Utahns who are struggling will have access to affordable health coverage.
Check out Mr. Ormsby's full guest commentary here:
It's in this connection that we present the below-linked online petition for your consideration, folks:
Please sign the petition and "urge the Utah Legislature to accept Healthy Utah. Help 146,000 of our most in-need citizens get health care, create thousands of new jobs, and bring back to our state $647,700,000 each year by 2021."

Is Utah a truly compassionate state as AARP director Alan Ormsby contends?

We guess we'll soon find out.

3 comments:

RM said...

Accepting the Federally-supported Medicaid expansion would be even more compassionate.

rudizink said...

Also fiscally "smarter," too, Rosemary. [sigh]

Ozboy said...

Another good editorial on the subject in today's (Saturday) dead tree addition of the Tribune by Representative Brian King "Utah should expand Medicaid" (Rudi, maybe you can insert a link here)


Unfortunately it will all fall on the deaf, dumb and mean ears of the Republican majority in the legislature. For the most part they are a cold hearted gang of really low life scum who don't give a flying f___K how many poor folks amongst us suffer and die because of lack of good medical care. Their mean spirited ultra right wing ideology is way more important to them than the lives and welfare of a very large block of our fellow citizens.
They would much rather squander millions on stupid unwinnable law suits against the Feds than apply it to alleviating the pain and suffering of the afflicted. Mother Teresa's they ain't!


The hope that any sensible and compassionate relief will come to our less fortunate brothers and sister is if the Mormon Church puts out the word that it wants this to pass. Seems to me that the basic purpose of Medicaid, and Herbert's watered down version, is in complete alignment with the Church's stated, and taught, values. It remains to be seen if the Church will exert it's moral stand on this issue like they have on other's concerning alcohol laws.


Not too optimistic unfortunately.

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