Utah Introduces Health Insurance Subsidy Program for Low-Income Workers

The Utah Health Department on Monday announced a program that will allow low-income workers who are enrolled in employer-sponsored health insurance plans to receive a subsidy to help pay plan premiums, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. Under Utah's Premium Partnership for Health Insurance program, employees who pay a portion of their plan premiums will be reimbursed $150 by the state for themselves and $100 per child. Enrollment in the program is capped at 1,000 residents who have monthly incomes of up to $2,767 for a family of three. The program is a revised version of former Gov. Mike Leavitt's (R) Covered at Work plan, which had fewer than 100 enrollees because the $50 subsidy was too low, advocates said. State Rep. Kory Holdaway (R) said lawmakers this winter will re-evaluate the program and consider raising the enrollment cap to between 4,000 and 9,000 residents, depending on participation rates. Holdaway said, "It's kind of a fence we're walking in terms of how much of a subsidy we need to encourage people to sign up." Nearly 60% of uninsured workers in Utah attribute their lack of insurance to high costs, according to a health department survey. Current Utah law requires employers who offer employee coverage to pay at least half of workers' premiums, according to the Tribune. However, they are not obligated to pay for spouses and children. The program is being touted as the first step in Gov. Jon Huntsman's (R) plan to reduce the state's uninsured population by half by 2010 (Stewart, Salt Lake Tribune, 10/31).