Posted by Utah House Democrats on Aug 24, 2009
The following Editorial appeared in the Spectrum Daily News on Sunday, August 23, 2009.
We are reprinting it here and welcome your feedback.
- The Utah House Democrats
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Utah must continue to get the job done on health care
I’m often asked why the state continues to pursue health reform when the federal government seems poised to act on the issue. First, I must express some trepidation about the federal proposals that have been presented to date. Congress, in my view, does two things very well: nothing and over-react.
After campaigning on promises of a quick fix, Congress and the president are pushing for reforms that attempt to make the public feel good and poll numbers rise.
However, it isn’t true reform, and it isn’t worthy of those in desperate need of reform.
Instead, I’m much more optimistic about the path to health reform that Utah is pursuing. The citizens of this state and the Legislature have demanded fundamental change in our health care system – how care is delivered, how it is paid for and how we as a state provide access to health care for all of our citizens.
In pursuing this fundamental change, Utah has invested countless hours in building a net of consensus that will sustain a new health system for the long haul.
In our nearly three years of work on reform inside Utah, we have built a foundation for a new health system based on market solutions. We have asked stakeholders to cooperate, participate, innovate and implement change. It has not been easy keeping the stakeholders engaged, but we are now starting to see results from our investment in consensus building.
Just this week, Utah announced the opening of a new health exchange that will offer employees the opportunity to purchase insurance based on individual needs rather than employer preference. The exchange will increase the availability of lower-cost plans and allow consumers to more efficiently compare insurance plans and medical providers when comparison shopping.
We’ve also put in place laws that will increase the ability to calculate the costs of treatment across entire episodes of illness and the ability to share medical data electronically among patients, doctors and labs.
When completed, we expect this foundation to slow the long-term growth of health care spending. This cost containment will be key to ensuring that those already covered are able to retain their insurance and those without insurance are able to get the coverage they need.
Much of what we have already done in Utah will survive any congressional rearrangement of the health care landscape. However, I expect that we could end up with some new and very real obstacles to further reform at the state level if the federal government intervenes. This would be an unfortunate result that would further erode our system of federalism, which was designed to keep most government decision-making at the level closest to the people. While we urgently need Congress to make certain reforms that only it can make, we do not need it to overreact and further limit the ability of states to craft solutions that reflect their own values and priorities.
As a state legislator, I see that states are and should be the point of primary interaction between citizens and their government. In that position we don’t enjoy the luxury of failing to make good on our promises. We must keep our policy promises and get the job done.
David Clark is the speaker of the Utah State House of Representatives.
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Posted by Utah House Democrats on Aug 16, 2009
How do you feel? Should Utah have an independent redistricting committee, independent of state law makers? Currently, our legislative and congressional districts are drawn by state legislators. We want to know what you think.
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Posted by Utah House Democrats on Aug 12, 2009
After Huntsman’s speech, and the close of Gov. Gary Herbert’s inauguration ceremony, House Minority Leader David Litvack, D-Salt Lake, called the day a sad one for Utah.
“I think it’s a day that is, in some respects, very solemn,” Litvack said. “To lose a type of leader like Gov. Huntsman, even as he goes on to great things in his new position, is definitely a loss for the state of Utah.”
– From the Deseret News, August 11, 2009
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Posted by Utah House Democrats on Aug 10, 2009
From the Utah House Democratic Caucus…
“House Minority Leader David Litvack, D-Salt Lake City, says he hopes Democrats will find an open door and open mind when dealing with Herbert.
“The characteristic you want is someone who is willing to listen and consider different points of view, and Gov. Herbert has that reputation,” Litvack says. “That’s been my experience with him, and I personally feel, with the minority party, we can be successful in that type of environment.”
- From the Salt Lake Tribune, August 9, 2009
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House Minority Leader David Litvack, D-Salt Lake, hoped for a continued open relationship with the new governor.
“During the Huntsman/Herbert administration the minority party enjoyed unprecedented access and open communication with the governors office,” he said in a statement. “We look forward to this continuing with Gov. Herbert as we work together to address issues important to Utahns.”
- From the Deseret News, May 16, 2009
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Posted by Utah House Democrats on Aug 5, 2009
Stimulus a boon or a bust?
Economy » Utah Dems counter claims that it has failed.
Updated: 07/30/2009 06:52:55 PM MDT
What do 10 new Salt Lake City police officers, a pool of money for first-time homebuyers and a dozen interns at the Mestizo Coffeehouse have in common?
They are signs that President Barack Obama’s stimulus program is helping energize the economy, Utah Democrats said Thursday in attempting to counter conservatives’ claims to the contrary.
House Minority Leader David Litvack, D-Salt Lake City, said the nearly $800 billion stimulus has propped up transportation projects, preserved teaching jobs once considered for budget cuts and helped hundreds of first-time homebuyers get places of their own.
“Criticism is good,” Litvack said. “Public policy debate is good. But, at the same time, it shouldn’t be baseless criticism. What the state of Utah needs is real genuine leadership. Taking shots is not what we need.”
But with the national unemployment rate approaching double digits, Republicans say their criticisms reflect reality. While federal dollars have perked up pieces of the economy, U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said it hasn’t produced “fundamental change in the economic climate.”
“If you spend a trillion dollars, you are going to have some effect,” he said. “But, dollar for dollar, it is a boondoggle.”
The Democratic National Committee has launched a national ad campaign to counter those claims and called on local party leaders, such as Litvack, to help prove its point that the stimulus is saving jobs and sustaining projects that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.
In Salt Lake City, for example, the money will put 10 additional motorcycle officers on the street, provide millions for home weatherization and relocate a de-icing facility at the international airport to allow for future expansion.
“It is not just about creating jobs,” said Ben McAdams, a senior adviser to Mayor Ralph Becker. “It is about putting us on a better footing for the future.”
Federal dollars even allowed the Mestizo Coffeehouse to hire 12 new full-time employees who, because of learning disabilities, a criminal record or no high-school diploma, normally would have difficulty landing jobs.
But the stimulus doesn’t reach far enough, Sen. Orrin Hatch said.
“By any measure, the stimulus law has turned out to be nothing more than a complete bust,” the Utah Republican said in a statement. “When the debt to pay for the stimulus comes due, Utah taxpayers will be tapped out and Utah families will be asking themselves why the jobs never materialized?”
jstettler@sltrib.com
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