Our Legislature wants to replace Proposition 3 with a bill that will make it harder for people to get health coverage. This legislation would delay coverage, cap the number of people who can enroll in Medicaid and impose administrative reporting requirements on eligible individuals. These provisions would significantly restrict people’s ability to access Medicaid.
Medicaid provides thousands of low-income Utahns access to timely and appropriate cancer screenings and early detection services, as well as affordable treatment options. For the nearly 11,000 residents expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year, access to health care will be the key factor in whether they live or die.
As an American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network advocate, I believe everyone in Utah should have access to affordable, quality health insurance. Medicaid saved my sister’s life when she had cancer, as well as mine when I had complications during childbirth that nearly resulted in death. I’m grateful for Medicaid for helping my family during a time when being uninsured would have been devastating.
Utah voters decided, and it’s the Legislature’s responsibility to fully implement increased access to Medicaid. There are 150,000 residents — our friends, families, coworkers and neighbors — who are counting on it.
Annalee Foster, Vernal
