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Enrollment In Utah's Medicaid Expansion Remains Low, Despite Expectations

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With government programs like Medicaid, the definition of what constitutes homelessness or employment can mean the difference between getting help or not. State officials are finding that out with unexpectedly low enrollment rates with the recent Medicaid expansion

In November, Utah officials announced they’d expand Medicaid health coverage for 5-7,000 people. They expected a big response but so far only about 400 people have signed up.

Karen Cluff is a case manager at First Step House, one organization that helps do those signups. Cluff says a one of the main barriers is that enrollees can only earn up to five percent of the federal poverty level, or have essentially zero income.

"Most of our guys are working temp jobs or they’re working these kind of initial jobs while they’re in treatment that work with that schedule. One day of that work disqualifies them from being eligible for the program," Cluff says. 

The “targeted adult Medicaid expansion” was for the chronically homeless, those involved in the justice system, or individuals with drug or alcohol problems, or mental health needs.

Officials from the Department of Workforce Services, the agency that tracks enrollment, say another cause could be that the state officials expanded the program before doing enrollment training for staff at places like First Step House. They say as training continues, they expect enrollment to increase.

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