Gov. Spencer J. Cox is a husband, father, farmer, recovering attorney, and Utah’s 18th governor. Since taking the oath of office on Jan. 4, 2021, Gov. Cox has secured funds for affordable housing, promoted suicide prevention and mental health resources and implemented water conservation and infrastructure planning. He also signed early education and workforce program funding, launched the new Utah Sustainable Health Collaborative, and expanded opportunity for women, diverse communities and those living in rural parts of the state.
“Affordable and reliable quality care is essential to families and individuals. Here in Utah, we are working toward long-term, market-informed solutions to provide access to care without putting an overwhelming tax burden on Utah families.” - Governor Gary R. Herbert
Utah is a health conscious state. For many years Utah has been recognized as one of the healthiest states in the nation. These rankings account, in part, for the behaviors of our residents, their communities and environment, our policies as a state, the clinical care provided by our clinicians, and the outcomes of our efforts (cancer deaths, cardiovascular-related deaths, premature deaths, etc.). Overall, Utah is a high performing state and it’s clear that we take pride in our health.
The health of our residents drives the health of our state, and therefore we must always consider it a priority. We must always look to the future to ensure that we have an efficient, effective, and affordable healthcare system in Utah.
An effective healthcare system must provide thorough, affordable coverage to as many people as possible in an economically sustainable way. Historically, our issues have surrounded access to healthcare for lower-income persons. This has been an issue for many states throughout the nation, and the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2009 exacerbated this issue by focusing more on who should be paying rather than how to actually control healthcare costs. This well-intended but nearsighted solution is just another example of big government attempting to produce a one-size-fits-all solution to a complex problem rooted in the free market.
With the passage of Proposition 3 in the 2018 Midterm Election, the residents of Utah voted to embrace full Medicaid Expansion under the Affordable Care Act. The proposition implemented a sales tax increase to attempt to cover the costs of the expansion. Based on data from other states who have embraced the ACA, Governor Herbert is concerned that the sales tax increase will not be sufficient to cover the costs of the expansion. That is why he has long championed a Utah based approach to Medicaid expansion that helps fill a large hole in our social safety net while providing appropriate fiscal safeguards. The governor supports modest modifications of the law to ensure the long-term feasibility of providing these important services.