The monies would bring in most of the estimated $78 million annual cost of subsidizing health insurance coverage for 146,000 low-income residents of the state, according to the report.
However, the report notes that lawmakers are skeptical about the proposal.
For instance, Utah House Majority Leader Jim Dunnigan (R-Taylorsville) has questioned how much revenue an e-cigarette tax could actually bring in, if a bill to start taxing e-cigarettes even passes in the Utah Legislature.
And Rep. Paul Ray (R-Clearfield) told The Salt Lake City Tribune earlier this week he believes Gov. Herbert’s target — an 87.5 percent tax on the wholesale price on all the vaporizers and nicotine liquids, or e-juice — may be too high, the report reads.
Meanwhile, in the Utah Senate, Sen. Brian Shiozawa (R) “is calming nerves by agreeing to a two- or three-year sunset of Healthy Utah,” according to the report. Under his proposal, according to the report, “the program would go away after two years, unless the Utah Legislature reauthorized it and approved funding.”
More articles on healthcare finance:
Rising expenses take toll on Sharp HealthCare’s operating margin
General Assembly moves closer to controlling UPMC’s tax-exempt status
Fitch affirms New York City Health and Hospitals’ bond rating
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