On Thursday, May 1, 2025, the Faith and Advocacy Coalition to End Hunger and Homelessness submitted the following letter to Utah’s Department of Health and Human Services, and other state leaders, raising concerns about a proposal to add work requirements to Utah’s Medicaid Program. The letter was signed by 67 people from eleven different denominations and three different nonprofit organizations, located in areas ranging from Ogden to Park City to Springville. This proposal would require thousands of underemployed and unemployed Utahns to apply for 48 jobs within three months in order to maintain access to basic healthcare.
Here are four statements from people from four different denominations about why they signed the letter:
Parents want a better life for their children. This waiver does not help them succeed- the difference between 29 and 30 hours per week is a systemic issue for business owners and corporations rooted in a healthcare system that has failed us. Placing burdens to somehow prove worthiness for benefits through metrics such as requiring 48 applications per month does not change the job market, wage rates, marketability or skills or the availability of reliable and affordable child care. It only makes a parents life more difficult and stressful- because now they have yet one more stressor to address. Let’s create policies that recognize and address real barriers so that parents can succeed rather than struggle even more to make ends meet. Utah can be a model for sensible, compassionate, fair and effective policies that support families- this has long been a value in Utah and as a faith leader I know we can accomplish this and so much more if we work together on this.
Rev. Lora Young, Minister
South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society
As a United Methodist clergyperson fully committed to justice and compassion, I am deeply troubled by the Utah Legislature’s move to impose stricter work requirements on Medicaid recipients. Healthcare is a human right, not a reward for employment. Policies that threaten to strip coverage from vulnerable neighbors contradict the biblical call to do good, do no harm, and stay in love with God by caring for the least among us by. While I believe the intention of our Legislature is likely pure- urging all of our fellow community members to become self-sustaining and to contribute to the greater good of the community- this action will only serve to further bury them further in a system that is not created for independence and I call on our state leaders to reconsider this and stand against unjust ideas.
Reverend Philip M. Rogers II
Mountain Vista United Methodist Church
As a person involved with prison ministry, I believe that good job programs sell themselves. People, released from prison, with children over age 6 should not have to live under the cloud of losing Medicaid. The challenges already faced by released prisoners are great.
Charles Hines, Pastor
St. Francis of Assisi Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
As Lutherans and Christians, the central call to believers is most emphatic that we tend first to our less able or less fortunate neighbors: feed the hungry, care for the sick and homeless. We are compelled to open the doors wide to provide for these neighbors. Legislative efforts that would increase barriers, reduce or eliminate assistance already provided by federal or state programs is in opposition to these fundamentals. We believe everyone is worthy of healthcare and basic life-sustaining services. All efforts to create them and maintain them are of utmost importance.
Deb Elstad, Lay Leader, Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church
May 1, 2025
re: Concerns with proposed Community Engagement Medicaid waiver
Dear Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Governor Cox, and Utah Legislators
We are writing to you as clergy and lay people from a variety of faith traditions, and other concerned citizens, to express our concerns about the proposed Community Engagement Medicaid Waiver. Research shows that increasing access to healthcare through Medicaid helps people stay in the workforce but that work requirements are not successful at improving employment outcomes. Simply put, this is a bad idea. Beyond that general skepticism, there are several problems with this specific proposed waiver. In this letter we are focusing on three:
1. The proposed waiver unrealistically assumes that all employees can choose to work at least 30 hours per week. Unfortunately, many low wage employers prohibit employees from working more than 29 hours per week because they do not want to trigger federal requirements to provide full time employees with health insurance benefits. Involuntary part time jobs are also more likely to have irregular schedules which increases the difficulty of consistently averaging a specific number of hours per week. Irregular schedules also creates challenges for finding and keeping second jobs. This waiver proposal would be more attuned to the structural factors that limit low wage workers total participation in the workforce if the minimum weekly participation requirement were 20 hours per week instead of 30.
2. The proposed waiver requires people who are involuntarily underemployed to apply for 48 jobs in three months. This requirement would force people who are already working 29 hours per week to take time off work to apply for other jobs in order to continue having access to healthcare. Applying for 48 jobs in three months could also be a major challenge for people with serious mental illness, cognitive limitations or other disabling conditions. The waiver proposal would be more reasonable if the total requirement for submitting applications were cut to 24 for people with no employment and 12 for people with part time or irregular employment.
3. The proposed waiver does ensure continuity of care for people with serious mental illness. The waiver request exempts people who are “Physically or mentally unable to meet the requirements” from participation in the work requirement. It also states that a person who has been removed from eligibility may regain eligibility if they can show they were hospitalized for a temporary illness. However, these general provisions will not ensure that people with serious mental illness will not lose access to medication and therapy at a time when they most need help. If a person temporarily stops taking psychiatric medications, or if the efficacy of medications changes, we do not want Medicaid policy to be an obstacle to helping them resume appropriate medication and treatment.
Thank you accepting public comment. We would be happy to meet with you to discuss our concerns in more detail.
Sincerely,
- Bryce Anderson
- Pam Allison, Member, Christ United Methodist Church
- Kristine Ash
- Susan Barnum, Board Member, First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City
- Abigal Barney
- Michell Berry
- Colleen Bryan, Member, First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City
- Leslie Carey, Member, Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church
- Rev. Monica Dobbins, Minister, First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City
- Ashley Ann Eddington, Member, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
- Deb Elstad, Lay Leader, Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church
- LeAnn Nina Estevez, Director of Food Services, Nomad Alliance
- Joseph T. Geis, Member, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
- Dianne Gaschler, Member, Holladay United Church of Christ
- Gregory Goldberg, Baptist
- Shauntel Graham, Member, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
- Alice Griffin, Board Member, Crossroads Urban Center
- Alyce Gross, Bible Study Leader, Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church
- Rev. Olga Jane Hard, Retired Clergy, United Methodist Church
- Abdullah Al-Hattab
- Charles Hines, Pastor, St. Francis of Assisi Christian Church
- Margaret Hoestetter, LMHP/R Advocate, UBHPAC
- Sue Hunt
- Rev. Elizabeth Hunter, Deacon, Cathedral Church of St. Mark
- Rev. Kim James, Pastor, Ogden First United Methodist Church
- Rev. Diana Johnson,
- Retired Clergy, Episcopalian
- Margaret Jones, Member, First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City
- Rev, Steve A. Klemz,, Retired Pastor, ELCA
- Kseniya Kniazeva, Executive Director, Nomad Alliance
- Dorothy Kocks, Member, First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City
- Rev. Elias Koucos, Priest, Greek Orthodox Church
- Nancy LeBaron, Member, First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City
- Carol Ann Lenz, Choir Member, Former Deacon, First Presbyterian Church
- Patricia Marrion Lennberg, Volunteer, Crossroads Urban Center
- Pamela Lloyd, Chaplain, Volunteers of America, Utah
- Heather McCracken
- Micah Mahoney, Active Member and Volunteer, Mt. Olympus Presbyterian Church
- Pamela Mahoney, Member, Mt. Olympus Presbyterian Church
- Margo M Markowski
- Elizabeth McKnight
- Stephanie Miller, Member, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
- Gwenda Mitchell, Member, Mt. Olympus Presbyterian Church
- Melody Oliphant, Elder, Springville Community Presbyterian Church
- Erich Peterson, Member, Mt. Olympus Presbyterian Church
- Nancy Peterson, Local Missions Team, Mt. Olympus Presbyterian Church
- Bonnie Phillips, Participant and Originator, Golden Rule Project
- Shirley Primeau, Presbyterian
- Karen Riching, Member, Mt. Vista United Methodist Church
- Jackie Rodabaugh
- Rev. Phillip M. Rogers, II, Pastor, Mt. Vista United Methodist Church
- Glennys Sabuco, Member and Food Pantry Volunteer, Granger Community Christian Church
- Ann Scarborough, Member, South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society
- Karen L. Silver, Board Member, Crossroads Urban Center
- Dana Lee Simon, Congregation Member, Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church
- Linda F. Smith, Board Member, First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City
- Becky Sowards, Deacon, Mt. Olympus Presbyterian Church
- Karla Stoker, Lay Leader, St. Matthews Lutheran Church
- Sharon Strong, Member, First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City
- Catherine A. Taylor
- Melinda Thornton, Catholic
- Chris Touati, Member, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
- James Douglas Wetzel, Member, Holladay United Church of Christ
- Rev. Vinnetta Golphin Wilkerson, Chair Commission Order of Ministry, Disciples Of Christ Central Rocky Mt. Region
- Linda Williams, Member, Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church
- Levy Woodruff, Governing Board Church, First United Methodist Church
- Rev. Lora Young, Minister, South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society
- Paul Zimmerman, Member, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church of Park City
