Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has announced he favors using federal funding to help low-income people purchase private plans instead of expanding the state's Medicaid program, according to a report from The Washington Post.
Mr. Herbert would like to set up a three-year pilot program to aid low-income residents in purchasing private healthcare coverage, using the federal funds Utah would have received to support traditional Medicaid expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to the report. Approximately 60,000 state residents don't qualify for either Medicaid or for federal subsidies to pay for private plans through the PPACA health insurance exchange.
His plan is similar to proposals being carried out in other states such as
Last month, Mr. Herbert announced during a news conference that "doing nothing is not an option" when it comes to Medicaid expansion. Under the PPACA, states have the option of expanding their Medicaid programs to cover adults earning as much as 138 percent of the federal poverty level.
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