By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News

Looking to simplify the health care process, Utah Cares is launching a new ballot initiative to introduce single-payer health care to the state. State Sen. Nate Blouin joined the KOAL newsroom to discuss this movement and how he sees it benefiting the public.

“Single-payer health care is a really good way to make the system more efficient,” stated the senator. “It’s just basically saying that instead of everyone’s employer collecting taxes, going to the government and funding things through the employer, the government becomes the funder there and creates all those efficiencies that you get from not having to go through each employer, which could be thousands of different entities there. And that really should help streamline costs and make things a lot more efficient for folks.”

This service would serve as an extension of the current state employee insurance plan. At the same time, the measure wouldn’t force residents of Utah to abandon their private plans if they so choose,” it is not like government-mandated health care. It won’t take over Intermountain or the University of Utah health care system. Those things are still going to exist. They’re just going to get their payments from a more centralized body and allow that to function in a more efficient manner that reduces administrative costs and allows them to provide better coverage to more people.”

Blouin continued,” We’re not mandating anything, it’s not even overruling the private market. You’re still going to be able to go out and purchase private health care if you want to go that route. That’s not the goal to override the private market. It is to provide a broad-based service for the widest population possible. And that is a way of reducing costs by expanding that risk pool.”

Blouin, who has focused on the political side of the movement, shared what he sees as the most significant benefit of this proposed system,” I think the benefits are that folks aren’t going to have to worry about where they get their health care. It gives them a lot more flexibility … in a state like Utah, where people are going to hear all sorts of crazy rumors about things like socialized health care. It’s not what this is. It’s just opening up new opportunities for people to make sure that they have the coverage they need.”

The biggest public concern about the proposal is how it would be funded. According to Utah Cares,” the system is funded through a publicly administered model – including a modest gross receipts tax on businesses – eliminating administrative waste and high private insurance costs. This shift means families keep more of their income while gaining access to comprehensive, reliable care.”

Blouin, who has become the legislative champion of the initiative, explained why he got involved with the movement. “It’s a popular idea generally with the public. People should have health care. I think, hopefully, that’s not too controversial of a statement. You know, we have high spending here. We do not have the greatest health outcomes. And so we need to make sure that people have that coverage. And so this is a really good way to bring what should be a popular policy to the public and do it through ballot initiative rather than the legislature.”

In closing, Blouin said,” I think the main point here is just making sure that everyone has the best coverage that we can get for the best price possible. That’s the goal here. So hopefully, that’s not too controversial.”

The initiative faces an uphill battle, with Utah touting one of the harshest ballot initiative processes in the country. According to Utah State Code 20A-7-201,” A person seeking to have an initiative submitted to a vote of the people for approval or rejection shall, after filing an initiative application, obtain: legal signatures equal to 8% of the number of active voters in the state on January 1 immediately following the last regular general election; and from at least 26 Utah State Senate districts, legal signatures equal to 8% of the number of active voters in that district on January 1 immediately following the last regular general election.”

More information on the initiative is available at utahcares.vote.