Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
With an eye on decreasing the state’s high infant mortality rate, the Ohio House passed a bipartisan bill June 20 that would expand smoking cessation, dental and health visits, and lead education (Source: “Ohio House approves spending $11 million to reduce infant mortality, preterm births,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 20, 2019).
House Bill 11 (HB11), sponsored by Representative Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville, OH) and Representative Stephanie Howse (D-Cleveland), passed unanimously. It now heads to the Senate.
HB11, if passed, would:
- Require Ohio Medicaid, Medicaid managed care organizations, and state employee insurance plans to cover federally recognized tobacco cessation medications and services.
- Provide $6 million to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) to give grants to health care facilities, medical practices, and others to begin programs that encourage early prenatal care.
- Provide $5 million for pregnant Medicaid recipients to receive twice-a-year dental visits.
- Require ODH to develop educational materials on lead-based paint and distribute them to people who live in homes built before 1979, and to families who participate in the state’s Help Me Grow Program.