The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) advocacy team monitors healthcare related legislation, rule changes, and legislative updates for Ohio’s family physicians.
To access the OAFP Bill Tracker, visit the OAFP Public Policy webpage and click on the Bill Tracker icon.
Read on for this week’s updates and contact Advocacy Coordinator Kaela Springhetti with questions or for ways to get involved.
Court OKs Trump Policy to Block Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio from taking Medicaid
Source: The Columbus Dispatch
Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio can no longer accept Medicaid as payment starting September 15, the result of President Donald Trump’s policies and a recent federal appeals court decision.
Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio says the First Circuit Court of Appeals’ September 11 decision will cut off birth control, sexually transmitted infections testing, and other healthcare for 22,000 patients across Ohio. State and federal law already prohibit Medicaid from paying for abortions, except in rare circumstances such as medical emergencies.
“Planned Parenthood has always been committed to providing healthcare regardless of a patient’s financial circumstances. This loss of Medicaid funding will severely deepen the strain on our ability to serve patients with lower incomes,” said Erica Wilson-Domer, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio said in a statement.
President Trump’s signature “Big, Beautiful Bill” blocked Planned Parenthood from billing Medicaid for contraception, sexually transmitted infection testing, gender-affirming care, and preventive care visits.
A federal judge had temporarily blocked that funding cut and ruled it is likely unconstitutional. But an appeals court reversed that decision while the legal arguments play out, Reuters reported.
Read the full article in The Columbus Dispatch.
Ohio Policymakers Debate Which Providers Should be Eligible for Federal Rural Health Funding
Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
Billions of federal dollars earmarked for rural healthcare are headed to Ohio, and state lawmakers are already drawing lines over who should get them (Source: Ohio Republicans Move to Block Urban Hospitals from Taking Rural Health Dollars, Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 10, 2025).
The money comes from a $50 billion rural health fund created by H.R. 1, the federal reconciliation bill sometimes referred to as the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
The Ohio Hospital Association says nearly three-quarters of the state’s rural hospitals operate in the red, and the fund was created to help offset Medicaid cuts in the federal budget bill.
Ohio’s share is estimated at $1.3 billion, based on an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is expected to release its notice of funding soon. Those are the guidelines on how to apply and what kinds of hospitals will qualify.
Governor Mike DeWine recently met with CMS Director Mehmet Oz, MD, MBA, and a “significant portion of their conversation” was about rural healthcare.
“The hospitals have to meet qualifications, and they will need to do certain things with the money,” Gov. DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney said. “It’s not a blank check.”
How to Prepare for Medicare’s New Prior Authorization Program in Ohio
Source: The Cleveland Plain Dealer
A new Medicare pilot program set to launch next year in Ohio and other states could change the way older Americans access certain medical treatments, drawing sharp criticism from physicians, patient advocates, and some lawmakers.
Medicare recipients need to know that gaining approval for some medical procedures could take longer, and caregivers may have to submit more paperwork to get prior authorization, health policy experts said.
The initiative from the Trump Administration, known as the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model, is designed to reduce fraud, waste, and abuse in traditional Medicare. It would require prior authorization for about a dozen procedures that federal officials say account for billions in spending each year.
Ohio is one of six states participating in the six-year trial, scheduled to begin in January 2026. But opposition from Congress has placed the program’s funding in question, and advocates are warning it could restrict timely care for vulnerable patients.
Read the full article in The Cleveland Plain Dealer.