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House establishes commission to develop health care options and cost-containment proposals
Summary
House Bill 67 creates a Health Coverage and Cost Containment Commission made up of legislative, executive and public members charged to deliver at least two coverage/cost-control proposals by the end of 1993; the House approved the bill 67-8 with a fiscal note of $80,000.
The Utah House approved House Bill 67 to create a Health Coverage and Cost Containment Commission that will evaluate coverage options and recommend at least two proposals to the governor and legislature.
Representative Brent Haman, presenting the third substitute of the bill, said the commission would include two members from the House (one from each party), two senators (one from each party), two executive-branch representatives and six public members unaffiliated with major stakeholder interests. The governor would serve as facilitator (or appoint a facilitator) but would not vote; the selection of members would allow veto power for legislative leaders and minority leaders.
Haman said the commission’s duties are to study ways to limit health care expenditure increases, to develop systems of coverage for all state residents, to evaluate proposals submitted by interested parties, to estimate costs and funding alternatives, and to recommend measures to improve quality. He said the commission must deliver at least two proposals by the end of 1993 for the governor to present options to the legislature in 1994; options could include a nonbinding public referendum with an education package outlining pros, cons and costs.
Members asked about the scope and whether the commission implied the state entering the insurance business; Haman said the bill does not direct the state to become an insurer and that the commission’s role is to present options that the public or legislature could adopt or reject. Questions were raised about compensation and the bill’s $80,000 fiscal note; Haman said compensation and facilitator costs were included in the note and indicated executive branch funds would cover them.
After discussion and several proposed amendments and questions about membership pay, the House approved the measure 67-8 and referred it to the Senate.
Why it mattered: HB 67 establishes a structured process to produce options on health coverage and cost containment, creating a cross-branch and public advisory mechanism with deadlines and a modest fiscal appropriation to support its work.
