Debbie Bettess' medical problems and her reliance on Medicaid make her feel vulnerable.
The blind woman believes she would not need a wheelchair if she had been able to afford physical therapy. Without Medicaid's home health care, she says she would go into a nursing home. She is frightened by proposed changes in Medicaid coverage. She's not sure how she will meet co-payment requirements on her $427 monthly income.Bettess and about 50 others with disabilities showed up at the governor's office Thursday afternoon to demand protection of their medical coverage.
At issue is a $3.8 million shortfall in the Medicaid budget. When federal matching funds are considered, the total loss is $15 million for the program, which serves low-income people who are blind, disabled, elderly or on welfare.
Gov. Norm Bangerter was on his way to West Valley City to speak to fifth-graders at Valley Crest Elementary School about the election process when the protest began.
Flanked by a member of the governor's security detail, Deputy Chief of Staff Carol Nixon and state Budget Director Charlie Johnson first tried to address the concerns of the protesters.
They suggested the protesters come back when the governor had room on his schedule to see them. But the protesters said they hadn't been able to make an appointment.
When the protesters insisted they wouldn't leave until they could talk with him, Nixon called Bangerter.
The governor decided to come back after his presentation and arrived through a seldom-used secret passageway to his office shortly after 3 p.m. He was briefed by his staff for only a few minutes before stepping out to speak.
While waiting for his return, the protesters were asked to move from the small waiting area - sealed off from the offices of the governor and most of his staff - to the adjacent board room. Bangerter's aides moved chairs from the board room into the halls of the Capitol to make room for wheelchairs, but the protesters stayed put until told the governor was ready to speak.
The room was hot, crowded and noisy and at least one protester had to be wheeled out due to the heat. Many told their stories to a group of reporters who were leaving an unrelated press conference when the protest began.
Even after Bangerter appeared, a dozen or so continued to crowd the waiting area, saying they would not move until the governor promised he would find the money needed to prevent program cuts.
The governor walked from the board room to the waiting area to urge the remaining protesters to come and hear what he had to say about the Medicaid budget.
"Folks, you may stay here if you like. But I'm going to be in the board room. If you want to meet with me, that's where I'll be," Bangerter said. They didn't leave.
The governor said no arrests were to be made, ordering Capitol security to allow the protesters to stay in the waiting area as long as they wanted, even though their rally permit expired at 5 p.m. Thursday. A handful remained outside the governor's office this morning but had dispersed by 10 a.m.
During the protest, state officials were quick to point out that the budget is not being cut. In fact, Medicaid received a $13.2 million ($50.7 million with federal funds) increase for 1993.
"We're really not talking about cuts," said Johnson. "It's just the population in need of services has grown beyond projections."
The Department of Health estimates that, with proposed program cuts, 5,500 will be dropped from the program. Services for another 3,500 will be reduced. About 3,000 who "buy" into the program by giving the state any money they receive over eligibility limits will be eliminated. Another 4,000 people must make co-payments for services like prescriptions and doctor visits, up to an undetermined limit - probably $8-10 a month.
Bangerter and legislators blame federal mandates, in part, for the crisis. When cost for mandated programs exceeds what a state can afford, the state must eliminate "optional" categories of people or services.
Many of the protesters, like Trent Florence, have multiple medical problems. Florence is legally blind, hearing-impaired and has diabetes. He needs medical treatment for all three conditions and said the reductions would threaten his life.
"I am familiar with the challenges in the Medicaid budget," Bangerter said. "I am also familiar with the challenge the governor and the Legislature have in the budget." Money already added into Medicaid, at three times the growth rate of state money, has come out of other programs and budgets.
Steve Singley and other protesters criticized earmarking money for a new tax building and the fight to attract the 2002 Olympics while poor people's medical assistance is jeopardized. They asked the governor to use money from a state surplus or the Rainy Day Fund to maintain Medicaid services.
"This is so stupid," said Leslie Gertsch, Utah Council for the Blind. "A little preventive care saves money in the long run."
Maintaining Medicaid funding has been a continuous battle, Tim Funk, Community Coalition of Utah, told the governor. "With your leadership we've been able to win that fight. But we're very frustrated with the hearing process. We know everyone cares. The one thing we haven't seen is any kind of tangible health-care reform."
Bangerter said he would be unable to recommend any action to fund the program until he knows the size of an expected surplus. "Today we do not believe the surplus is nearly as significant as it has been in the past."