Bill to ban Medicaid expansion in Utah passes House, may meet resistance in Senate

“This bill, for me, is not about sticking it to the man. It is not about making an anti-Obamacare statement or an anti-Affordable Care Act statement,” said Rep. Francis Gibson, R-Mapleton. “This bill is about making fiscally responsible decisions for the generations to come. It is the one part of the law that states were given the ability to decide on their own.”

Utah Democratic Party Executive Director Matt Lyon, however, said the Utah GOP “chose Washington ideology over the practical, reasonable and fiscally responsible policy of expanding Medicaid.”

House Speaker Becky Lockhart, R-Provo, said, "It is a message that a majority, a significant majority of the House, are not in favor of expanding Medicaid."

The bill did not pass with the 50 votes needed for what would be considered a veto-proof majority.

Anderegg emotionally explained his purpose behind the bill, saying he strives to live by words of scripture that encourage mankind to serve each other.

He doesn’t believe the governor should be left to make the decision on the matter alone.

“Mr. Governor, I hope you listen to the voice of the people,” Anderegg said. “Catch my vision and come with me. I am reaching across the aisle. I don’t want to leave people without coverage, but there is a better way. I know there is.”

Contributing: Dennis Romboy, Lisa Riley Roche

E-mail: wleonard@deseretnews.com

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