Gov. Spencer Cox said Utah is monitoring proposed federal changes to Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act and SNAP and that the state will work with the Legislature and agencies to assess any effect on coverage and state budgets.

Responding to a question that cited an estimate of 188,000 Utahns losing access to coverage under proposed changes, Cox said he did not know the exact number and that the state’s Department of Health and Human Services was studying the impacts. “I don't know what the actual number is going to be right now. We're working with our Department of Health and Human Services to try to figure out what that looks like,” he said.

Cox said the state may need to consider stepping in if federal cuts lead to loss of coverage or program reductions. “It may mean we end up funding more from the state level as our budgets allow us to do that,” he said, noting funding constraints.

On public broadcasting, Cox expressed concern about a congressional proposal to eliminate federal funding for public broadcasting, saying cuts could disproportionately harm local stations such as PBS Utah and rural and tribal communities. “These are the things that are going to be cut. These are the things that will fall away,” he said, and warned of unintended consequences that could reduce local public-service programming.

Cox said he has not yet had direct conversations with Utah’s U.S. senators about the public-broadcasting provision but that state staff and officials communicate with federal legislators; he named Senators Mike Lee and Mitt Romney as U.S. senators from Utah and said discussions with them could follow.

Ending: Cox said the state will continue analyzing the federal proposals and pursue legislative and administrative options as needed to protect services and coverage.