"Doing nothing is not an option," Republican Gov. Gary Herbert said of Medicaid expansion during a news conference last week, according to the report. He didn't specify how the state would go about expanding the health insurance program for low-income residents.
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. Utah joins 25 other states and the District of Columbia in moving forward with expansion, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Additionally, Indiana and Pennsylvania are looking into expansion after 2014.
Hospital leaders and advocates in conservative-led states have called for expansion to help providers avoid losses and bring in additional federal revenue. Before Mr. Herbert announced his decision to expand the program, two Utah hospital CEOs — Mike Clark, CEO of Logan Regional Hospital, and John Worley, CEO of Cache Valley Hospital in North Logan — called for a limited expansion that would extend the program to people who earn as much as 100 percent of the federal poverty level.
More Articles on Medicaid Expansion:
HHS: 6.3M Deemed Eligible for CHIP, Medicaid Since Exchanges Launched
Study: Predictions for 2014 and Beyond Based on Early Medicaid Expansions
Hospitals in Red States Continue Push for Medicaid Expansion