Contact
Crystal Young-Otterstrom
801-652-0737 // [email protected]

The LDS Dems Caucus is still waiting for expanded healthcare. Today, we request our state legislators do the right thing, right now, and bring greater access to healthcare to our most vulnerable Utahns. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and as Democrats, we support this compassionate, common-sense program, and we call on the Utah Legislature to pass it right now.

Healthy Utah will eliminate the coverage gap. Establishing Healthy Utah isn’t only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do. Healthy Utah is estimated to create an economic boon of some $874 million to our state.

We call upon the “Gang of Six” to honor the July 31st deadline set for reaching a decision, and express our disappointment in the failure of House Speaker Greg Hughes and House Majority Leader Jim Dunnigan to enact Healthy Utah. Healthy Utah is supported by the vast majority of Utahns. With their inaction, the “Gang of Six” are not only violating the will of their own constituents, but they are ignoring hundreds of leaders from the civic, business, religious and medical communities.

We echo the position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Saints that the problem of the coverage gap “deserves the best thinking and efforts from both the public and the private sectors.” We ask the “Gang of Six” to consider the devastating effects of continued delay to those without healthcare coverage.

As Mormons, we strive to live as emissaries of Christ. Providing healthcare assistance to disadvantaged families is part of our Christian duty. We believe that increased access to healthcare helps Utah families reach self-reliance. Indeed, as our own Church leaders said last December: “the lack of access to health care can impair a person's ability to provide for self and family.” Healthy Utah is exactly the prescription that Utah needs and it is already three years too late. The time to act is now.

LDS Democrats (LDS Dems) is an official caucus of the Utah Democratic Party, and part of the national organization, LDS Democrats of America. Just three years old, LDS Dems is the largest caucus inside the Utah Democratic Party with more than 4,500 members. More info at ldsdems.org.

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