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.
Federal HR1 Provoking ‘Very Unusual’ State Policy Changes in Health Coverage
Source: Hannah News
A provision included in Ohio’s operating budget House Bill 96 would have triggered the end of Medicaid expansion in Ohio if the federal contribution to Medicaid fell below a certain percentage. And while that contribution percentage was debated prior to the passage of HR1 (“One Big Beautiful Bill”), ultimately HR1 did not trigger cuts in Ohio.
However, HR1 will reduce federal Medicaid spending nationally by approximately $1 trillion over 10 years, mostly through cuts to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) expansion. Ohio is expected to lose more than $33 billion in federal Medicaid funding compared to the baseline over the next decade, according to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) compiled by the Health Policy Institute of Ohio (HPIO).
Another substantial part of the cuts following HR1 will come from Medicaid work requirements. Speaking during the recent HPIO Summit, KFF’s Jennifer Tolbert said her organization estimates that work requirements are estimated to lead to 5.3 million more Americans uninsured by 2034.
While KFF didn’t estimate the effect of Medicaid work requirements on states specifically, Jennifer Tolbert said KFF estimates 330,000 people in Ohio will be newly uninsured by 2034, most of which KFF attributes to Medicaid changes.
Jennifer Tolbert said the key changes to Medicaid in HR1 that will affect Ohio include restricted eligibility, including eligibility for children; reduced frequency of eligibility determinations; new cost sharing for some enrollees; and its restriction on states to direct their payments to certain providers via managed care organizations.
But Jennifer Tolbert said the single largest source of coverage loss and federal reductions will follow from the imposition of the Medicaid work requirements.
Read the full article in Hannah News.
Ohio Experts Trust Decades of Medical Evidence on Abortion Drug Safety as Federal Review Requested
Source: Ohio Capital Journal.
Ohio reproductive rights providers and advocates are keeping an eye on federal discussions about a longtime Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drug used in medication abortion, while maintaining a resolute message in a state with constitutional protections for abortion.
The head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has indicated he wants the FDA to re-review pills used in abortion procedures for safety and effectiveness.
Mifepristone has been FDA-approved since September 2000, and the first generic version was approved in April 2019. Just last month, the FDA approved another generic form of the medication.
Patricia Zettler, BA, JD, a law professor at The Ohio State University who studies the FDA, said the request for a new review seems unusual, and it’s also unusual considering drug companies including those that make mifepristone are required to participate in a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program, which the FDA uses to “help ensure the benefits of the medication outweigh its risks.”
According to the FDA, the REMS for mifepristone requires that the drug be prescribed by a qualified healthcare provider, that the patient sign a patient agreement form explaining the risks of the treatment, and that the drug be distributed by a certified pharmacy.
“The mifepristone REMS programs is a closed system, meaning prescribers, pharmacies, and distributors are certified or authorized and verified under the REMS prior to distribution or dispensing of the drug,” according to the FDA.
Read the full article in The Ohio Capital Journal.
Ohioans Under Obamacare to See Health Costs Spike or Lose Coverage if Tax Credits Expire
Source: The Columbus Dispatch
Hundreds of thousands of Ohioans who buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace will see their premium costs spike dramatically or be uninsured altogether if tax credits from the federal government expire.
These “enhanced premium tax credits,” or subsidies, are at the center of the nearly two-week government shutdown. They currently help over 24 million people, among them 583,000 Ohioans, afford health insurance that isn’t connected to an employer, depending on their income, that they purchase through the ACA marketplace.
But those subsidies are set to expire at the end of 2025, with no apparent plan to extend them. It’s a major sticking point for Democrats who are railing against Republican cost-cutting efforts to health care.
The ACA marketplace, also known as Obamacare, was established in 2014 under former President Barack Obama. Enrollees paid premiums on a sliding scale, dependent on income, and the federal government paid the rest in the form of tax credits.
In 2021, former President Joe Biden’s administration introduced the enhanced premium tax credits, which increased financial assistance for enrollees. It also expanded eligibility for the already-existing tax credits to those above 400% of the federal poverty level, or $62,600 for an individual or $128,600 for a family of four.
Read the full article in The Columbus Dispatch.