The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) advocacy team monitors healthcare related legislation, rule changes, and legislative updates for Ohio’s family physicians.
Read on for this week’s updates and contact Workforce and Advocacy Manager Caitlin Laudeman with questions or for ways to get involved.
Poll Shows Opposition to Issue 1
Source: NEA Consulting Weekly Ohio Update
A new, recently released poll by Suffolk University and USA Today shows more than half of respondents don’t support Issue 1, which would raise the threshold to pass constitutional amendments to 60%. The statewide survey of 500 Ohio voters was conducted July 9-12 using live telephone interviews of households. It was part of the same survey that gauged opinion on the 2024 presidential and U.S. Senate races also recently released. Respondents included 182 Republicans, 154 Democrats, and 132 independent voters.
The poll found 26% support Issue 1, while 57% oppose it, and nearly 17% are undecided. Those that support it include 13% of Democrats, 38% of Republicans, and 24% of independents. Those opposing it include 76% of Democrats, 41% of Republicans, and 60% of independents. Eleven percent of Democrats were undecided, 21% of Republicans, and 16% of independents. Proponents of the measure include gun rights groups including the Buckeye Firearms Association and the Ohio Sportsmen’s Alliance, but 56% of gun owners interviewed by the poll oppose Issue 1. A majority of those who said they have school-aged children also opposed Issue 1. More than three-quarters of respondents who voted for President Joe Biden in 2020 oppose Issue 1, but 41% of those who said they voted for former President Donald Trump also oppose it, while 38% of Trump voters support it.
The poll was conducted after opposition ads began running on television, but before supporting ads began airing. Protect Ohio Women, a group supporting the issue and opposing a proposed reproductive and abortion rights amendment in November, announced on Friday that it is investing more than $2 million in television ads which began running in the last week. Vote Yes Ohio, the main organization backing Issue 1, sent an email to supporters questioning the veracity of the poll, noting other inaccurate race and issue polls in previous years by media outlets.
“Though the multiple millions spent by special interests on false ads against Issue 1 have impacted the media’s polling, our polling shows that the momentum our grassroots campaign is building across all 88 counties of the state will show up in force on Election Day. When Ohioans hear the facts about Issue 1, they strongly support it because they want to protect our constitution against the very type of big money, out-of-state influence we have been seeing from the ‘no’ side,” the campaign said in its email.
State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy Notice of Public Hearing
- 4729:5-3-21 – Point of Dispensing Locations During a Public Health Emergency
- 4729:6-3-09 – Satellite Distribution Sites During a Public Health Emergency.
The full text of the proposed rule is available at the office of the State Board of Pharmacy in printed form without charge to any person affected by such proposals. The proposed rule is also available on the Register of Ohio’s website (search by 4729 – State Board of Pharmacy). Please note, it may take up to 24-hours from the filing date for the rules to be posted.
On the date and at the time and place designated in this notice, any person affected by the proposed action of the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy may appear and be heard in person, by their attorney, or both; may present their position, arguments, or contentions orally or in writing; offer witnesses; and, present evidence tending to show that any proposal, if adopted or effectuated, will be unreasonable or unlawful.
Trump Leads Biden in Statewide Poll; Most Republicans Undecided in U.S. Senate Race
Source: NEA Consulting Weekly Ohio Update
Former President Donald Trump would defeat President Joe Biden 44% to 38% in Ohio if those were the Republican and Democratic candidates in the 2024 General Election, according to a new Suffolk University/USA Today poll. In that scenario, 9% said they would support an Independent candidate, 6% were undecided, and 2% would vote for Green Party candidate Cornel West. Former President Trump performs better in Ohio than Florida Governor Ron DeSantis would if he were to become the Republican nominee. In a Biden-DeSantis matchup, Gov. DeSantis (39%) narrowly led President Biden (37%), 10% would vote for an Independent, 10% were undecided, and 2% would support Mr. West.
On June 17, Secretary of State Frank LaRose officially announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Secretary of State LaRose, a native of Akron, OH, and a graduate of The Ohio State University, said his proven ability to win statewide elections is one of several reasons he is the best candidate to face U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in 2024. “I’m running against two former Democrats in the Republican primary and an incumbent senator who has one of the most liberal voting records in the Congress,” Secretary of State LaRose said. “I’m the only candidate who can point to a consistently conservative voting record. I’m also the only veteran in the race, the only member of the military, and the only parent of grade-school kids. It’s time Ohio had a senator who lives like us, believes like us, and fights for us, and I’m not one to back down from a fight.” The other announced Republican candidates for U.S. Senate are businessman Bernie Moreno and Senator Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls, OH).
In the U.S. Senate race, most Republicans are undecided (57%) on their candidate, but Secretary of State LaRose (19%) has a small lead on Sen. Dolan (14%) and Mr. Moreno (9%). Among the three GOP hopefuls, Secretary of State LaRose appears to be the most competitive at this stage, polling in a statistical dead heat with incumbent U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), 45% to 4%5. Sen. Brown leads Sen. Dolan 46% to 43% and leads Mr. Moreno 48% to 41%. Nearly 51% approve of Sen. Brown’s job performance. However, even among those who approve of him, 16% would not vote for him in a matchup against Secretary of State LaRose. The margin of error for the survey is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
Concerns Raised Over Unintended Consequences of HHS Reproductive Healthcare Privacy Protections Rule
Source: NEA Consulting Weekly Ohio Update
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) proposed rule to strengthen reproductive healthcare privacy protections could have “unintended consequences,” a spokesperson for Attorney General (AG) Dave Yost recently told Hannah News. AG Yost signed a letter written by Mississippi AG Lynn Fitch and joined by 17 other attorneys general arguing that the new Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) reproductive healthcare privacy rule would “defy HIPAA, our constitutional system and the Administrative Procedure Act.”
AAFP Targets Administrative Simplification in Health IT Guidance
Source: AAFP News
One important step toward reducing physicians’ administrative burdens would be adopting electronic prior authorization standards in certified EHR technology (CEHRT) regulations, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) wrote in detailed guidance to HHS’ Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information.
The ONC should integrate electronic prior authorization standards — including those automating prior authorization requests for prescription medications — into CEHRT “as soon as possible,” the AAFP wrote.
“The AAFP strongly urges HHS to take steps to dramatically decrease the overall volume of prior authorization requirements. However, health information technology solutions are also needed to support real-time automation between prescribers and payers,” added the June 19 letter.
Request for Information: Draft HHS 2023 Framework To Support and Accelerate Smoking Cessation
Source: Federal Register, A Notice by the Health and Human Services Department
HHS issued a request for information (RFI) to receive input from the public on the Draft HHS 2023 Framework to Support and Accelerate Smoking Cessation to guide HHS efforts to sustain and strengthen existing programs and drive further progress toward smoking cessation, with an emphasis on serving populations and communities disproportionately impacted by smoking-related morbidity and mortality. Comments are due Sunday, July 30.
Living in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods Linked to Higher Dementia Risk
Source: Ohio Health Policy News
Americans who live in neighborhoods with less socioeconomic advantage may have a higher risk of dementia, according to a new study (Source: “Living in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods Linked to Higher Dementia Risk, Study Finds,” Stat News, July 20, 2023). The study, recently published in JAMA Neurology, is the first to connect neighborhood disadvantage with a higher risk for dementia in a large, diverse population, building on previous research that found similar links in smaller, more homogenous groups in Minnesota and northern California.
The increased dementia risk can be true regardless of an individual’s background, according to the study, which found that people living in areas of the U.S. with the lowest levels of income, education, employment, and housing quality had a 1.17 times higher risk of developing dementia compared to residents of the least disadvantaged areas. The fact that people living in more disadvantaged neighborhoods tend to face more stressors and have fewer resources — factors that are associated with many adverse health outcomes — may explain part of the link with dementia, according to researchers. People in less-advantaged areas may also have limited access to activities that the study’s researchers say can be good for brain health, such as crafting or using computers.