• “The legislature doesn’t need to approve the Medicaid Dental funding. The Health Department can make that decision themselves.” Rep. Jeff Alexander, (R)Provo
• “…the legislature chose not to fund an optional dental program until the comprehensive [Medicaid] study had been undertaken.” Rep. Steve Urquhart, (R)St. George (emphasis added)
• ”We didn’t view this as a political issue. We thought the program spoke for itself.” Governor Huntsman’s spokesman Mike Mower

House Majority Leader Jeff Alexander is leading the charge on the defense of the legislature’s recent decision not to fund dental and vision benefits for the poor. On his blog he states clearly the legislature didn’t fund the program because the Health Department could simply use existing funds to cover dental/vision benefits. See http://www.jeff-alexander.com/archives/2006/06/the_governor_co.htm

Rep. Steve Urquhart seems equally convinced the decision not to fund these benefits was a choice made in light of decreasing federal funding for Medicaid and increasing numbers of dentists refusing to provide care to Medicaid recipients. See http://www.steveu.com/blog/index.html for his comments. Rep. Urquhart totally ignores the fact a $2 million appropriation for dental benefits would have attracted $4.8 million in additional federal Medicaid funds.

Finally, the Governor’s office feels the issue “speaks for itself” and clearly believes the legislature must act to provide funding as his support for action during both the regular session and the special session make clear.

Who is right or wrong about the need for legislative action is irrelevant. What is beyond dispute is the legislature’s ability to mandate spending on dental and vision benefits. Indeed, this is precisely what the legislature did in 2005. The legislature clearly chose to ignore the fact it has the power of the purse. Attempts to throw the whole thing back in the lap of an already strapped Health Department by legislators like Rep. Alexander amount to nothing more than a transparent attempt to dodge responsibility for their role in this mess.