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House passes children's health insurance bill after heated debate over hospital tax
Summary
After a day-long debate over funding and fairness, the Utah House passed House Bill 137 to create a children's health insurance program, adopting an amendment narrowing eligibility and rejecting a proposal to eliminate an existing hospital "bed" tax used to match federal funds.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah House on Feb. 25 passed House Bill 137, establishing a children—s health insurance program to cover children whose family incomes fall near the federal poverty thresholds, after extended floor debate over how to fund the plan.
Representative Knudson, the bill sponsor, said the program is designed to cover children who are not Medicaid-eligible and that federal matching dollars would make the program financially viable. He told colleagues that, if the hospital tax provision were removed, "the state would have to come up with about $5,500,000 from the general fund" to preserve the federal match (Representative Knudson). The bill's…
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