(Salt Lake City, UT) – The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) today authorized the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) to expand its Medicaid program to approximately 70,000-90,000 Utah adults. The newly eligible individuals can begin applying for coverage on Monday, April 1.
Under the newly approved plan, Utah residents who earn up to 100% of the federal poverty level, about $12,492 for an individual or $25,752 for a family of four, will be eligible to receive full Medicaid benefits. The federal government will cover approximately 70% of the cost of the new program; the State of Utah will cover the remaining 30%.
“It isn’t easy to design a program that cares for the whole needs of a person, including the social determinants that we know have such a large impact on health like work and community engagement,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “Governor Herbert and his team have shown tremendous leadership by developing a sustainable Utah solution that extends coverage while helping to lift families from poverty instead of trapping them in public assistance.”
Today’s federal approval also allows the state to cap enrollment in the program if there are insufficient state funds available to match the federal funds. It also includes authorization to implement a self-sufficiency requirement and to require eligible individuals to enroll in their employer-sponsored insurance plans, if available. However, these two requirements will not be implemented until January 2020.
“This is an important first step in covering vulnerable Utahns in a financially sustainable way,” said Governor Gary R. Herbert. “But it’s just a first step. In the coming months, we will submit a detailed proposal seeking a new funding arrangement with CMS that will decrease the state’s share of the costs, provide the federal government with assurances on its costs, and provide the state with additional flexibility to manage the program.”
Later this spring, at the direction of Senate Bill 96 sponsored by Sen. Allen Christen and Rep. Jim Dunnigan, the UDOH will submit a second request to CMS. The new request will seek to increase the federal share of the cost of the program to 90%, and will include additional provisions such as a cap on federal funding, the ability to provide housing supports, and allowing up to 12 months of continuous eligibility.
“We have been working on Medicaid expansion for many years in our state. This approval builds on the work we have done in previous years to cover parents, the homeless, and those involved in the justice system,” said Rep. Dunnigan. “It is exciting to see the state’s work come to fruition and for us to begin covering all of the adults who are in the coverage gap.”
Sen. Christensen added, “We are very pleased with CMS’s responsiveness to this waiver request. We look forward to working with them on our Per Capita Cap request.”
To be eligible for the new program, individuals must be a Utah resident between the ages of 19 and 64, be a U.S. citizen or legal resident, and meet income requirements. Information on how to apply for Medicaid can be found at https://medicaid.utah.gov/apply-medicaid.
For more information on Utah’s Medicaid expansion plans, click here.
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Media Contact:
Tom Hudachko
Utah Department of Health
(o) 801.538.6232
(m) 801.560.4649