Salt Lake Community College film student Paul Gibbs rattled
a few cages with the documentary “Entitled to Life,” which looked at the lives
of six Utahns who fall into a “coverage gap” by not qualifying for Medicaid or
subsidized insurance.
Courtesy photo - Paul Gibbs
Gibbs, 39, pursuing a film production degree at SLCC’s
Center for Arts and Media, recently received a grant from MoveOn.org to fund
another similar project that will examine the coverage gap in two other states.
He said he plans to start production for that project around Labor Day.
In June Gibbs wrote a letter that appeared in a Utah daily
newspaper, chastising Utah lawmakers for not responding to emails asking them to
view “Entitled to Life.”
“Sadly, our Legislature seems determined to shut out the
poor people of Utah who want to speak up and share their stories,” Gibbs wrote
in his letter. “For many, the decision of whether or not to accept Gov. (Gary)
Herbert’s Healthy Utah plan will determine whether they live or die, and they
deserve to have their voices heard.”
After the letter, Gibbs was invited by the Legislature’s
Health Reform Task Force in July to show portions of his film to legislators at
the group’s meeting. He said afterward that lawmakers still seem resistant to
implementing Herbert’s plan, but that if the film didn’t actually sway a few
opinions it at least made them more aware of the coverage gap’s impact on
actual people.
“I think that it went well,” Gibbs said about showing the
film to Utah lawmakers. “They listened and paid attention.”
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