SALT LAKE CITY — A citizen ballot initiative could significantly change how people get health care coverage in Utah, if it can clear some big hurdles to get on the ballot next year.
"We are proposing better, simpler health care for all Utahns, financed fairly for everyone," said Dr. Joe Jarvis, one of the sponsors of the "Utah Cares Act."
The citizen initiative was quietly filed with the Lt. Governor's Office last month. It would basically create a single-payer system in the state. Dr. Jarvis, a physician, said it would cover out-of-pocket expenses.
"People are afraid to use the health care system because they're afraid it will bankrupt them," he told FOX 13 News in a recent interview. "We'll take that fear away."
The Utah Cares Act seeks to take the Public Employee Health Program, which is currently offered to state employees, and expand it to everyone through "a state-financed and regulated universal health cooperative." In practicality, it could replace employer-provided health care benefits.
"We will replace that out-of-pocket money and the money that comes from private employers with a what we're calling the Utah Cares Premium. It's a brand new way of raising revenues in Utah. It's never been used, at least in the sort of scale that we're trying to propose," Dr. Jarvis said.
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The proposed citizen ballot initiative would impose a tax on businesses to help cover the Utah Cares Act, as much as 2.85% (depending on how many employees they have). But Dr. Jarvis argued enacting it would ultimately save employers and taxpayers billions of dollars.
"It's a very reasonable, very functional way of approaching the health care system. It's just radically different from the way we do business now," he said.
The initiative has so far been rejected by state officials, at least on the grounds of fiscal impact. In a letter sent to the initiative sponsors after FOX 13 News began inquiring about its status this week, the Lt. Governor's Office argued the money generated should the initiative become law was not enough.
“Under the analysis conducted by the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst, the law you have proposed by initiative falls short of adequate funding by $8 billion," the letter said, citing a new state law requiring the sponsors to detail where the money comes from.
Sponsors of the Utah Cares Act said they intend to appeal, questioning the math the Lt. Governor's Office is using to reach its conclusion. If they are successful and are ultimately given the go-ahead, the next step would be to hold a series of town hall meetings and then they could start gathering signatures for the 2026 ballot.
"Any initiative that affects how taxpayer money is spent should clearly state both the costs and funding sources. Voters have a right to understand the financial implications so they can make informed decisions at the ballot box. If those proposing an initiative can’t answer these basic questions, they shouldn’t be putting it forward," said Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, R-South Jordan, who sponsored the bill required details about funding in citizen initiatives.
So far, medical and health care advocacy groups that FOX 13 News contacted have declined to comment on the proposed initiative, preferring to wait and see if it qualifies for the ballot. In the past, the American Medical Association and some conservative organizations have opposed the idea of single-payer systems when it's been raised in other parts of the country.
The effort to craft a single-payer system in Utah has been under way for several years now. In 2023, the group Common Sense Health Care for Utah held an event on Utah's Capitol Hill where people shared stories of sticker shock costs for care.
If it qualifies, the Utah Cares Act would appear on the same ballot as a referendum on a law the legislature passed banning public employee unions from collective bargaining and a proposed constitutional amendment that would require any citizen ballot initiative raising taxes to get 60% passage.
