Health officials on Monday unveiled a program they hope will help remove the barrier to health insurance for thousands of Utahns.

Utah's Premium Partnership for Health Insurance — or UPP, pronounced "up" — would pay monthly subsidies to those who are offered health insurance through their work but cannot afford to enroll in the employer-sponsored plans.

The health department estimates about 45,000 of the nearly 300,000 uninsured Utahns could qualify for the new program. Through a mix of federal and state dollars, UPP has funding for up to 1,000 people in its initial stage.

"I think it's a real step in the right direction," said Dr. David Sundwall, executive director of the Utah Department of Health. "I don't want to oversell it because it's a modest step. (But) it's important."

UPP is the product of legislation sponsored earlier this year by Rep. Kory Holdaway, R-Taylorsville, to expand the state's little-used Covered at Work program. The measure increased the current subsidy from $50 to $150 for adults and added the $100-a-month child subsidy.

"It's the new, improved version of Covered at Work," Sundwall said of the program. "Now we can give enough of a financial incentive that we think it can be attractive for people to take advantage of it.

"You're talking here, say for a family of four, that's up to $500 of assistance to purchase health insurance."

The average monthly insurance premium for family coverage in Utah is $721, according to a 2004 study by the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. The amount is the total cost for consumers and employers.

To qualify for UPP, uninsured adults must be employed by a company that offers health insurance, be a U.S. citizen or a legal resident and fit within established income guidelines. For adults to receive a subsidy, they must be at 150 percent of the federal poverty level. Up to 200 percent of poverty, the program would cover children but not the adult.

Enrollment for UPP begins Wednesday and will remain open until the 1,000-person cap is reached. Once eligible Utahns are approved for UPP and signed up for their employers' health plans, the health department will begin mailing monthly subsidy checks to the newly insured Utahns.

Sundwall said the program is the first step toward an initiative to "make a big dent" in the rising number of the uninsured in Utah. Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has set making health insurance more accessible as a priority, said Sundwall, co-chairman of the governor's working group for the uninsured.

The group is exploring ways to make sure that all Utah children have health insurance through a series of incentives and penalties for parents who fail to find coverage for their kids. Another idea that may make its way to the 2007 Legislature is a measure to allow small businesses and individuals to buy health insurance with pre-tax dollars, Sundwall said.

For more information about UPP, including qualification criteria and enrollment applications, go to www.health.utah.gov/upp or call 1-888-222-2542.

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E-mail: awelling@desnews.com