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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Gov. Gary Herbert sternly criticized the Utah House on Thursday for circumventing what he considers the proper legislative process and deciding not to consider his plan for expanding Medicaid.
While calm and composed, Herbert didn't hide his displeasure with the House decision. He vowed to continue negotiating during the final two weeks of session— but didn't rule out calling for a special session later or taking executive action.
Herbert said House members aren't even considering the current version of the bill and making decisions based on "misunderstandings at best and distortion at worse."
The decision robbed the public of the opportunity to provide input about a plan that is an alternative to expanding the state-federal health insurance program as envisioned under President Barack Obama's signature health care law, the governor said.
"I'm just asking the House to do its job," Herbert said Thursday at his monthly news conference on KUED. "They've certainly had time to discuss other issues like the state dog and other issues that are probably of lesser importance."
His comments came one day after Republican House Speaker Greg Hughes said the GOP-dominated House will not consider the governor's plan because it has no support even though the proposal earned key approval in the state Senate.
Hughes, in his first year as House speaker, didn't back down Thursday. He said there's still no traction in the House for the governor's plan even after meeting again Thursday behind closed doors.
He jabbed back at Herbert about the state dog getting a vote and not Medicaid expansion. "What if the state dog has more support?" said Hughes, and later, "If we're not pursuing a bill for the purposes of considering it to become law, I don't know what we're here for."
That echoed comments Hughes made Wednesday when he said, "I don't want a topic to become political pageantry, and we're just going to hear it just to hear it."
Herbert responded to that Thursday with his own little dig. "Political pageantry is I guess a euphemism for the public's opportunity to come in and speak and talk to their elected officials and give input," Herbert said. "We know there is a lot of public support."
Several key members of the Senate backed Herbert on Thursday. Sen. Brian Shiozawa, R-Salt Lake City, said it's not a bad idea for Gov. Herbert to use his power and influence to force the issue. He implored his counterparts in the House to change course.
"You ought to be able to deal with the most important, significant health care issue that's going to face this state in, really, years," Shiozawa said.
Sen. Jim Dabakis, D-Salt Lake City, called it "morally reprehensible" for the House not to even vote on the proposal.
Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, was more tempered in his comments, but he said he would advocate for the House to reconsider hearing the measure.
Herbert's office spent months negotiating with federal officials to secure a deal that he felt he could bring back to the state's Republican-controlled Legislature. The plan would enroll thousands of poor Utah residents in private health plans. In exchange for making residents eligible for help, the federal government had agreed to pay most of the program's costs.
It mirrors similar proposals from other Republican governors pushing for a way to expand health coverage under the federal law while keeping it palatable to their right-leaning Legislatures.
After weeks of negotiations and discussions, the Senate voted 17-11 Wednesday morning to approve the plan despite strong objections from some Republicans that it will saddle Utah with an expensive program that will be politically difficult to end when it expires in two years.
The Utah governor's office estimates the program will cost Utah $25 million over the life of the two-year program. It will also bring hundreds of millions of dollars Utah taxpayers have sent to Washington, D.C., back to the state to be put to use, Herbert and his supporters argue.
Opponents of the plan argue there's no certainty about the cost estimates, and the costs to the state will be higher two years from now, when it will be tough for lawmakers to cut off the thousands who have been able to get care through the program.
Herbert used his news conference to clarify that the plan would include no tax increase and be considered a test program that would end in two years.
"There is not a better proposal out there," Herbert said.
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Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price and Kelly Catalfamo contributed to this report.
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