I applaud Gov. Gary Herbert for his stand that those receiving a proposed health care coverage be required to work. Herbert is proposing a program called Healthy Utah that would provide coverage to those at a certain lower income level.
He says the Obama administration, which will need to give Utah permission to go with Healthy Utah instead of having those people on Medicaid, has balked at the suggestion that the recipients work.
I think it a great idea, to have them work. Speaking at a monthly press conference Thursday, Herbert said if you are going to get free or subsidized help, then, "at least as a minimum requirement, you ought to let the state of Utah help you find a job." (Quote from a Deseret News article.)
What? Mean the state would actually go out and find them jobs, and place them in jobs? That is a rather big commitment. It seems the Obama administration should be jumping to commit Utah to it. The administration should be saying, "If you wants to guarantee people jobs, by all means, go for it. Don't let us stop you."
What, with unemployment rates as they are, to take a whole economic category of people and place them all in jobs? Who would ever say "No" to such a thing?
I like it that people work for what they get. I believe more -- perhaps all -- of our public assistance programs should be attached to work requirements.
Well, Herbert's work stipulation wouldn't apply to all those in the Healthy Utah program. Some would be deemed unable to work. Still, the requirement would result in a fairly large share of people being inserted into the workforce. Herbert suggested only two-thirds of those in this income bracket currently are working. The rest -- a third -- either would be judged as unable to work or given jobs.
That should be a fairly significant number of people being placed in jobs. It will make for a "healthier" state. Let's do this.
(Post was added upon 8/30/14.)
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