SALT LAKE CITY — Dr. Joseph Miner says he understands care for the uninsured and people on Medicaid well from overseeing and practicing in community clinics in Utah County.
That knowledge will serve him well as he wades into the state's ongoing Medicaid expansion debate as the new executive director of the Utah Department of Health.
Gov. Gary Herbert named Miner, who led the Utah County health department for 32 years, to the state post Monday. The appointment is subject to Senate approval.
Miner told reporters the state needs to make sure the most vulnerable Utahns have the opportunity for health insurance, but at a price Utah can afford and without going into debt or raising taxes significantly or at all. He said he supports the Medicaid expansion concepts legislative leadership and the governor have recently worked out. They have yet to announce their plan.
"We all pay for the care of uninsured individuals anyway, and we pay for it in the most expensive ways through the emergency rooms and in-patient hospitalization where they can't be refused care," he said. "This is a way to give them health care and keep them well enough they don't need emergency rooms and hospitalization."
Miner replaces David Patton, who announced his resignation last month to pursue private sector opportunities after four years on the job. Patton was a proponent of the governor's Medicaid expansion plan and helped negotiate the federal waivers needed for the program with the Obama administration.
The governor said Miner has some challenges ahead of him.
"This is not an easy job," he said.
Herbert said there's always a hiccup when passing the baton to a leader, but that he's not concerned the timing would disrupt the Medicaid discussions.
"The good news is that Dr. Miner is so up to speed on this issue that it should be a very smooth transition," he said, adding that Patton will help with the changeover.
Herbert said the concepts of the Medicaid plan are in place and it's just a matter of putting on the final touches.
House Republicans and the governor were at an impasse earlier this year over competing Medicaid expansion plans. They came to at least a conceptual agreement last month to cover Utahns eligible for Medicaid expansion and taxing hospitals and others in the medical community to pay for the state's share of the federal program's cost.
Herbert got to know Miner when he was elected to the Utah County Commission in 1990 and the doctor headed the Utah County Health Department. In 2004, they created a volunteer care clinic in the county that is still running today.
House Democratic Whip Rebecca Chavez-Houck, D-Salt Lake City, said the state health department has been responsive to Utahns' needs and Democrats look forward to continuing a positive relationship with Miner.
"Through data-driven initiatives and successful partnerships with both public and private entities, we have seen our state become healthier and safer," she said. "That responsiveness is necessary as Utah faces some steep challenges ahead."
Miner earned a bachelor's degree from BYU in 1971, a medical degree from the University of Utah School of Medicine in 1974, and a master's in public health from the U. in 1983.
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