As the overseer of the state's Medicaid program, David Sundwall, executive director of the Utah Department of Health, said he opposes funding the government program with private monies.

"I absolutely do not support this mechanism," Sundwall said." This is not a good precedent. I don't want to see us filling gaps in the Medicaid program with private donations."

Lawmakers meeting Wednesday at the first gathering of the Medicaid Interim Committee, tasked with examining the state's program in its entirety, also questioned the appropriateness of soliciting private money to fund the government-sponsored health insurance program.

"It's not good public policy, because that's what we're here to do," Rep. David Litvack, D-Salt Lake. "But I can't argue against this being a good thing at this point."

Public outcry over lawmakers' decision not to fund the services, combined with the fact that a private citizen feels it necessary to front $1 million of his own money, shows that lawmakers failed their constituents, he said.

"It's an indication that the Legislature is out of touch with the will of the people of this community," Litvack said.

Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse, co-chairman of the Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, which did not make funding emergency Medicaid dental care a priority during the general session, agreed the effort is bad long-term public policy.

Still, he said, "If the community as a whole feels this is a need they want to meet and they pull together to make it happen, more power to them. Hallelujah."

He complained that the dental care funding controversy has overshadowed the $100 million lawmakers did spend on Medicaid needs for the 2007 fiscal year.

"Medicaid is not just one program. Medicaid is a massive program that is literally headed for failure to provide the basic needs of medical care to vulnerable populations," he said. "There are so many needs in Medicaid, we will never be able to fund them to some people's wishes."

Wednesday's announcement that the $2 million has been raised doesn't address the larger issue of how shortfalls in Medicaid funding will be closed in the future, Valentine said in an interview. "What this does is buys us time for the legislative Medicaid task force to do its job."

The Senate leader said in coming budget years, lawmakers will "have to make tough decisions about whether we fund all the gaps and take funds away from school kids or transportation, or whether we say we'll go to a more basic program."

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E-mail: awelling@desnews.com; lisa@desnews.com