Experts from UHPP break down Utah health policy Eli Kirshbaum | Jan 18, 2021
Share this:
Utah had the highest increase in Medicaid enrollment in the entire country last year, according to Courtney Bullard, the education and collaborations director for the Utah Health Policy Project (UHPP). Stacey Stanford, UHPP’s health policy analyst, joined Bullard on a panel at UHPP’s annual Health Care Solutions for Utahns conference to discuss Utah’s evolving health policy and its response to COVID-19.
Stanford said there are 207,371 Utahns enrolled through the open marketplace in 2021 a number that’s been steadily increasing over the past three years. This signifies an increased need for health care because the state initially anticipated a decrease in open enrollment with the expansion of Medicaid in 2020, according to Stanford. It turns out the opposite was true.
Peter Reichard: Development tax breaks need oversight
How well are Utah’s local governments managing economic development incentives?
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The city has allocated a key piece of cash to proceed with building a new TRAX station at 650 Main with the help of donations from developers with big projects in the neighborhood, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020.
By Peter Reichard | Special to The Tribune
| Dec. 17, 2020, 12:52 a.m.
It looked like a stroke of genius. Back in the 1950s, California officials, looking to fund economic development projects under tight budget constraints, created a mechanism known as tax increment financing, or TIF. The idea was to pledge new (or incremental) tax revenue generated from a project to make the project itself possible. It would be a clean win for the public, because the only money to be spent would be money that would not otherwise have existed.
The Legislature’s actions in repealing and replacing three voter initiatives is a factor.
(Leah Hogsten | Tribune file photo) This June 18, 2020, file photo shows the Utah House in session. A recent Utah Foundation report found that voters believe lawmakers listen to constituents less than business, religious and special interests.
| Dec. 16, 2020, 2:12 p.m.
Two out of three Utah voters believe state lawmakers listen to business, religious or special interest groups more than they do voters, according to the Utah Foundation.
The nonprofit surveyed hundreds of Utahns for its Utah Priorities Project and found that voters in March ranked the unresponsiveness of politicians as the top issue. But in July, well into the coronavirus pandemic, it had dropped to No. 6 behind health care, taxes, education, the economy and the pandemic. Some 1,150 registered voters were questioned in the March survey and 780 in July.
Created: 16 December 2020
In November, Utah Foundation held a Breakfast Briefing on the topic of homelessness, sponsored by the University of Utah’s College of Social and Behavioral Science. Our panel of experts featured:
Tricia Davis, of the Utah Homelessness Programs Office
Utah Representative
Eric Hutchings
Dr. Jeff Rose, of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism at the University of Utah
Dr. Jesús N. Valero, Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Utah
The panelists discussed how Utah’s homeless service providers are dealing with the pandemic, where the efforts to address service gaps are going; and how policymakers should approach those who remain on the streets. In this edition of Utah Thrives, you ll hear highlights from that conversation.
pixabay
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that New York could not limit the capacity of places of worship even to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. This story and more in the Thursday morning news brief.
Thursday morning, December 10, 2020
State
Utah Lacking In Early Childhood Mental Health Services
Utah has some of the highest rates of child and adolescent mental health disorders in the country, as well as some of the highest rates of kids who go untreated. It also has limited access to care, according to a report released Wednesday. It’s a big deal, the report said, because kids with untreated mental health issues are less likely to graduate high school or attend college. They’re also more likely to become homeless or enter the criminal justice system. Read the full story.