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Governor's Healthy Utah Plan Will Be Given Hearing

Ryan Padriac
House Speaker Greg Hughes announced last week that the Governor's Healthy Utah plan did not have enough support to be granted consideration.

The state House of Representatives will hear the case for Republican Gov. Gary Herbert's Medicaid expansion proposal. The decision comes in spite of comments by Republican House Speaker Greg Hughes, who said that the measure would not be considered.

The Governor has spent months negotiating Healthy Utah with federal officials and the state legislature. Hughes said that the long and meticulous debate over Healthy Utah is important to ensure a good outcome for the state. He is adamant that Utah will not be able to leave the plan if it wants.

“I am not regretting the amount of time we’re spending on Medicaid expansion, whether to do it or not to do it, because it’s not an annual decision. You step into this space and that’s it,” he said. “We don’t even think this whole waiver, pilot, ‘you can pull back,’… we don’t think that’s real. If we get into this, I think, it’s for the long-haul. So, I don’t regret the time we’re spending on that.”

Hughes claimed a week ago that the House would not hear Herbert’s proposal because of a supposed lack of support from members. 

The House sent Herbert's plan to committee on Tuesday. There is a chance that the bill could receive a hearing this week.

Representatives for Hughes had no immediate comment.