[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 4] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 4729] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]FLAWS OF MEDICAID EXPANSION ______ HON. JASON CHAFFETZ of utah in the house of representatives Tuesday, March 23, 2010 Mr. CHAFFETZ. Madam Speaker, there are major flaws in the health care legislation that passed the U.S. House of Representatives this week. Utah Governor Gary Herbert recently shared with me two major deficiencies in the Medicaid expansion as addressed in the health care bill. First, Medicaid expansion ignores the fiscal impact on states. Utah, along with many other states, currently faces challenging financial circumstances. It would be impossible to pay for a sizeable Medicaid expansion and still maintain other critical state priorities such as education and social services without tax increases. This would dampen any economic recovery. Second, Medicaid expansion ignores the program's current deficiencies. Medicaid is designed to be a temporary help and not a permanent solution for financing medical care because it restricts patient responsibility and limits choices and options. Utah is struggling to find enough providers who are willing to treat Medicaid patients as it is. Putting more people on this program will likely overwhelm the provider system and decrease access for those that need it most. Medicaid expansion solves the problem of the uninsured by forcing more people into an already overburdened public program. This is an inevitable crush on states' finances and the economy. State of Utah, Office of the Governor, Salt Lake City, UT, March 21, 2010. Hon. Jason Chaffetz, Longworth Building, Washington, DC. Dear Congressman Chaffetz: I am writing in the hope there is still an opportunity to eliminate the proposed Medicaid expansion in the current health care reform legislation. There are two major flaws with the proposed expansion. First, the Medicaid expansion ignores the fiscal impact on states. Even though there was a previous commitment that states will not be burdened with the cost of a growing program, it is clear the current versions of the expansion proposal do not keep this commitment. Utah, along with many other states, currently faces challenging financial circumstances. We, in Utah, have fought to minimize the impact on our citizens, but it would be impossible to pay for a sizeable Medicaid expansion and still maintain our commitment to other critical state priorities such as education and social services without tax increases. This would dampen the economic recovery we are beginning to experience. Second, Medicaid expansion ignores the program's current deficiencies. This proposal would significantly increase the number of Utahns on Medicaid. Instead, we need to get more people off Medicaid and covered by private insurance. Medicaid is designed to be a temporary help to those in need. It is not designed to be a permanent solution for financing medical care because it restricts patient responsibility and limits choices and options. It would be better to pursue approaches that help individuals and families become the primary decision-makers when it comes to their health and health care. We are struggling to find enough providers who are willing to treat Medicaid patients as it is. Putting more people in this program will likely overwhelm the provider system and decrease access for those that need it the most. Nothing in the current proposal addresses how this problem will be resolved. I am firmly opposed to a plan that intends to solve the problem of the uninsured by forcing more people into an already overburdened public program. Even though the bill intends to soften the impact with a 2019 full implementation date, this is simply delaying the inevitable crush on states' finances and the economy. Thank you for your consideration and thank you for your service to our country. Sincerely, Gary R. Herbert, Governor. ____________________