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Sugar House Journal

Medicaid expansion open enrollment begins

Mar 31, 2019 13h25 ● By Jennifer J Johnson

April 1 marks open enrollment in Medicaid for as many as 90,000 adults, per Utah’s Medicaid expansion. (Photo Credit: Pexels)

By Jennifer J. Johnson | [email protected]

Monday, April 1, marks the first day of open enrollment for approximately 70,000 to 90,000 adults under Utah's Medicaid expansion.

If an individual receives up to $1,041 in monthly income, or up to $2,146 for a family of four, they could qualify.

The Primary Care Network (PCN) program closed on March 31, 2019. Members previously enrolled in PCN were automatically enrolled in Medicaid. 

Unlike Utah’s PCN, the window for enrollment does not have a fixed stop date, according to Kolbi Young, spokeswoman for the Utah Department of Health. Entry to the program, she said, is “open indefinitely.”

Salt Lake County residents may apply in-person at a Department of Workforce Services (DWS) field office, or call 1-866-435-7414 for information or to apply via phone. People can also visit www.takecareutah.org or call the United Way helpline or “211” for help. Residents may also apply by mail. Submitting an application for benefits does not guarantee coverage.  

According to a press release issued by Salt Lake County, “Both as a County Council Member and now as Salt Lake County’s top executive, Mayor Jenny Wilson fought hard to expand the program that covers the gap in coverage for adults who do not currently qualify for Medicaid and are ineligible to receive benefits and subsidies through the federally facilitated marketplace.”

After the Utah Legislature first voted down the Proposition 3 Medicaid Expansion from the General Election, the new “Bridge Plan,” per Senate Bill 96, the state is able to expand Medicaid benefits to parents and adults without dependent children earning up to 100 percent of the federal poverty level, about $12,492 for an individual or $25,752 for a family of four.

"It's the right thing to do. It's the cost-effective thing to do. It's the humane thing to do," said Wilson.

When City Journals interviewed Wilson just a few weeks into her term, she indicated Medicaid expansion was part of her vision for “The Great Salt Lake County Dream.”