KUTV News Article and Television Interview 2/24/16

 

"I wanted to be here today to speak for those in similar situations of my mother." Karina Andelin Brown spoke about her mother who died at the age of 64.

"She passed away in 2013 of an acute stroke. She was too young for Medicare and did not qualify for Medicaid."

Brown's mom raised seven kids on her own while working and going to school, but died in the so called coverage gap when she was no longer covered as a senior.

"I just think it is so important to have compassion, for the residents of Utah that are not currently living happily ever after story" Brown said.

She urged Utahn's to think beyond themselves with Medicaid expansion.

"Sometimes when you are in your own story and everything is going great, maybe it is hard to have empathy for those having a hard time, but it is important to remember that human factor."

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Utah Citizens and Medicaid Expansion 2/11/16

 

“Look with me on this odyssey that I take you on, and where I started with my mother,” said Karina Brown, as she begins to cry. “I’m going to show you a picture of her and I when I was a baby, and a picture of us approximately a month before she died.”

Utah in the National News 11/2018

The Utah Health Policy Project is joined by AARP, Voices for Utah Children and other groups who have been active in this issue for a long time, Stevenson said. Their efforts drew notice from several national groups, among them Families USA and The Fairness Project who have agreed to support the ballot initiative drive both logistically and financially.

Initiative sponsors include Sen. Brian Shiozawa, R-Cottonwood Heights; Karina Andelin Brown, a health care advocate from Logan; Beth Armstrong, a health clinic director from Park City; Alan Ormsby of the AARP in Salt Lake City; and Bishop Scott Hayashi, of Salt Lake City’s Episcopal Diocese.

http://www.america.easybranches.com/utah/Full-Medicaid-expansion-could-go-to-voters-to-decide-in-November-2018-152678

Utah Ballot Initiatives 2018, 12/31/17

 

 

https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/editorial/2017/12/31/tribune-editorial-in-2018-utah-voters-could-go-where-lawmakers-wouldnt-with-medical-marijuana-education-funding-redistricting-and-more/

Utah Decides Healthcare - This would raise sales taxes by 0.15 percent to fund full Medicaid expansion, bringing a half a billion dollars in federal health care money into the state each year to cover about 100,000 uninsured Utahns.

 

Survey of Utahns and Medicaid Expansion

Expanding Medicaid has long been a controversial subject in Utah. But a new poll shows a majority of Utahns support greater access to low-income health insurance under an upcoming citizen ballot initiative. 

According to the new poll, 59 percent of Utahns support full Medicaid expansion. It was conducted by Dan Jones and Associates for the website UtahPolicy.com. The poll was based on the Utah Decides Healthcare ballot initiative. Rylee Curtis is their campaign manager.  

"I’m not surprised but I’m very excited about the poll numbers that came out today," Curtis says. 

http://kuer.org/post/majority-utahns-support-medicaid-ballot-initiative-says-survey#stream/0

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Maine leads the way 11/3/17

 

“We’re looking at Maine as a bellwether for what’s going to happen next year,” said RyLee Curtis, campaign manager for Utah Decides Healthcare, which is leading that state’s effort. 

ObamaCare gave states the option of expanding Medicaid eligibility to more low-income adults starting in 2014, with the federal government picking up most of the cost. 

http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/358532-with-vote-next-week-maine-could-lead-other-republican-states-in-expanding

Majority of Utahns support Medicaid expansion

"Now, a new poll commissioned by The Salt Lake Tribune and the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics has found 62 percent of Utahns either strongly or somewhat support an initiative petition to put full Medicaid expansion on the state’s November 2018 ballot."

https://www.sltrib.com/news/2017/10/25/two-thirds-of-utahns-support-ballot-initiative-to-expand-medicaid-poll-says/

Washington Times reports Utah Medicaid Expansion 10/3/17

 

Karina Brown of Logan, Utah, was one of several people to speak at a news conference Monday after the group filed the paperwork. Her mother died of a stroke in 2013 when she didn’t have insurance was a few months away from qualifying for Medicare, The Salt Lake Tribune reports (https://bit.ly/2yk5VJY ).

“It was really gratifying because I know what that could mean for people,” Brown said “It’s being able to access primary care without fear of exorbitant costs and receive the care they need to be productive.”

https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/oct/2/utah-medicaid-expansion-ballot-initiative-filed-mo/