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Why Utahns are growing ‘more and more angry’ with rising health care costs, in this week’s Inside Voices

Plus: Why a new policy will be ‘devastating’ for higher education in Utah

(Clarissa Casper | The Salt Lake Tribune) Inside view of Intermountain Health’s new East Clinic in Logan.

Happy Saturday, and welcome to Inside Voices, a weekly newsletter that features a collection of ideas, perspectives and solutions from across Utah — without any of the vitriol or yelling that’s become all too common on other platforms. Subscribe here.

It’s open enrollment season, and the realities of increased health care costs are hitting Utahns in real time.

One Utahn says her insurance costs are tripling in the new year. Shopping for plans induced a panic attack — and prompted her to reach out to her elected officials.

“I am aware of Mike Lee’s reputation for not answering constituents and was therefore not at all surprised when it proved true. Blake Moore, my representative, finally reached out — but he ignored my situation completely. John Curtis also ignored my situation,” Tawnya Gibson wrote in an op-ed published this week. “I grow more and more angry as I go over our budget with a fine-toothed comb, trimming where I can, negotiating our non-negotiables and obsessively checking every line item to plug holes, bandage hemorrhages and wonder why we are the ones constantly admonished to be smart with our money, to suffer the sins from those in power.”

Addison Burnsed, a University of Utah student recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, also shared her frustrations with health care costs.

“I am one of thousands of patients who aren’t covered by Utah’s insulin co-pay cap,” she shared in an op-ed this week. “To ensure no Type 1 diabetic is left behind, Congress must pass a nationwide insulin co-pay cap now that protects all patients, not just those with state-regulated insurance. I urge you, as the reader, to reach out to your state representatives and members of the Congress to demand a nationwide insulin co-pay cap that reaches everyone.”

Your perspective

I asked you last week if co-pays ever prevented you from getting the care you needed. Here’s what you had to say:

  • “Yes, the co-pay of $35 prevents me from getting physical therapy,” wrote Jean in St. George. “I could do one week but not six weeks. Now the co-pay is going to $45.”

  • “Most of the time I was growing up, and through many of my young adult years, we didn’t have insurance at all,” wrote one subscriber, who asked to be anonymous. “So it wasn’t co-pays that kept us from getting care, it was unaffordable insurance. Now with adequate income and insurance, my husband and I see the doctor as needed. This is completely different for my adult children, whose problems are not co-pays, but huge deductibles that they cannot afford. While they sacrifice to get the children the care they need, the adults do not get the care they need, which I worry will lead to long-term health problems.”

  • “Not necessarily the co-pays, but I have had issues with insurance overriding the treatment prescribed by my physician by requiring that I first be prescribed an outdated medication before I can start the medication my physician prescribed or by outright refusing to pay for a medication even when my physician has deemed the medication as medically necessary,” wrote Mike in Salt Lake City.

  • “Most recently I had a scan that was referred to an affiliate clinic of IHC that wanted $600 upfront,” wrote Deena in Salt Lake City. “I canceled the appointment and had my doctor send the referral to a IHC hospital and had the scan done without the upfront cost.”

  • “I am watching a spot myself rather than seeing a dermatologist, as I am worried about what the copay would be, especially if a ‘procedure’ was done,” wrote Polly in Salt Lake City. “The price of care at the U. is insane. My healthy 65 year old spouse was just billed over $1,600 for an annual physical.”

    • Have a story to share? Email me at voices@sltrib.com.

    Utahn of the Year

    (The Salt Lake Tribune) Clockwise from top left: Former LDS Church President Russell M. Nelson; UVU President Astrid Tuminez; Afa Ah Loo; HB 267 protestors; U.S. Sen. Mike Lee; BYU men's basketball freshman AJ Dybansa.

    Since 1997, The Salt Lake Tribune’s editors and editorial board members have selected a Utahn of the Year. The aim is to find the person, persons or entity who — for good or ill — best reflect the state and its biggest news stories of the year.

    We ask readers to weigh in, too, through a poll. Vote for your nominee today.

    Utah Voices

    (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The University of Utah campus is pictured on Tuesday Nov. 18, 2025.

    The following excerpts come from op-eds recently published in The Tribune.

    A new higher education policy will be devastating for Utah educators like me

    “Despite the University of Utah’s assurance that ‘equitable distribution of teaching and service is a core purpose of workload policies,’ the policy targets career-line faculty who, in addition to teaching the majority of classes and working with the vast majority of students, are objectively one of — if not the most — overworked, underpaid and exploited groups on campus,” writes professor Maximilian Werner. Read more.

    I grew up shooting guns. That doesn’t mean I want them on my college campus.

    “Growing up, I knew guns were used to hunt and harvest meat for my family and to shoot the skunks that try to kill our chickens. This was appropriate for my rural lifestyle, but Salt Lake City is not rural, and I don’t see the need to bring a gun to school with me,” writes Kacie Flolo. Read more.

    Once refugees, Latter-day Saints should resist Trump’s immigration policies

    “Too many Latter-day Saints now align with a political movement whose language and policies mirror the persecution and dehumanization their own ancestors endured. In 1838, Latter-day Saints were cast as subversive enemies to be removed — a framing disturbingly similar to the one used today against undocumented immigrants. Given these parallels, the church’s current approach — generic appeals to compassion paired with an insistence on legal compliance — falls woefully short,” writes Keith Burns. Read more.

    Lowering the age for LDS sister missionaries will lead to more faith crises. That’s a good thing.

    “In my opinion, what church officials continue to miss is that the most successful evidence of spiritual growth following years of commitment to the church (through missions, callings, etc.) is the Latter-day Saint faith crisis,” writes Valerie Hamaker. “This means that people are awakening to their own true selves, complete with their own internal compasses. If that growth were ever acknowledged for what it truly is, Mormonism could become a place where all truly feel welcome wherever they are on their faith journeys.” Read more.

    Share Your Perspective

    (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Holiday lights illuminate Temple Square in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025.

    I’m gathering predictions ahead of the new year. What do you see happening — or what would you like to see happen — in Utah in 2026?

    From Bagley’s Desk

    Pat Bagley | Colorado River Compact

    I’m always looking for unique perspectives, ideas and solutions that move our state forward. Learn more about our guidelines for an op-ed, guest essay, letter to the editor and more here, and drop me a note at voices@sltrib.com.