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.
OAFP Submits Written Testimony on House Bill 219
Recently, the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) submitted written testimony on House Bill 219, a bill that would establish clear network adequacy standards for commercial health plans.
OAFP Bill Tracker Updated
The OAFP online Bill Tracker keeps members updated on healthcare legislation in Ohio. Visit the OAFP Public Policy webpage and click on the “Bill Tracker” icon to see bill numbers; sponsors; descriptions; and current status within the House/Senate. You can also see if/when the legislation was reviewed by the OAFP Public Policy Workgroup and the OAFP’s official position on each bill.
School-Based Healthcare Centers are Growing, Bringing Medical Care to More Ohio Kids
Source: Statehouse News Bureau
Picture an old chemistry lab being used as a healthcare clinic for the local community. That’s exactly what Sara Bode, MD, medical director of School-Based Health Services at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, said is happening in one Ohio high school.
“Some of our offices can look like a medical health center. It might have multiple exam rooms,” Dr. Bode said. But in other schools, the space might be more limited. But the number of facilities is growing, bringing healthcare to people who might otherwise go without.
In 1995, the first health center based on school grounds opened in Ohio. Today, there are 138 of those centers throughout the state in 49 school districts in 27 of Ohio’s 88 counties.
The Ohio General Assembly has provided $20 million to expand the clinics over the next two years. Ohio Department of Health Director Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, MBA, FAAFP, said the healthcare centers open to the communities on school grounds are providing important services to people who face barriers to medical care.
“This can help overcome many of the barriers that we know prevent people from seeking reliable care, such as the lack of reliable transportation, the challenges of a parent or guardian taking time off work to take a student to an appointment, or simply an inadequate number of healthcare professionals in a particular area,” Dr. Vanderhoff said in a call with reporters.
The healthcare provided at these facilities is often available to the entire community, not just students. The facilities can be inside schools or simply on school grounds. The care provided at them is usually covered by Medicaid and Medicare, as well as private insurance plans.
Read the full article in the Statehouse News Bureau.
Rep. Matt Huffman Discusses Federal Action on Intoxicating Hemp, Sports Gambling, Mail-In Ballot Changes
Source: NEA Consulting
House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima, OH) told reporters he believes federal changes on intoxicating hemp that may be passed as part of legislation to re-open the government could “significantly affect” what comes out of the Senate Bill (SB) 56 conference committee.
Speaking after the House Rules and Reference meeting, Rep. Huffman added he didn’t want to get into the specifics and deferred to Republican conferees Representatives Brian Stewart (R-Ashville, OH) and Tex Fischer (R-Youngstown, OH). He further noted SB 56 has provisions beyond intoxicating hemp and that he believed the two chambers were close to agreement on the marijuana aspects of the bill.
Rep. Huffman also discussed how the federal “loophole” in agricultural law for hemp could be closed by the new federal law and his view that THC products should be sold and regulated like alcohol.
Regarding potential changes to sports gambling following the indictment of two Cleveland Guardians pitchers, he said there should be a comprehensive look at “the kinds of betting that encourages this” in reference to the indictment, calling it “a real problem.”
In response to a question on whether the comprehensive look would involve legislation or a study committee, he said at this point he didn’t know what the legislation would entail but there needs to be a look at the issue in some form which could include a joint legislative committee to make recommendations.
“Pandora’s box has been opened, and we have lots of gambling we didn’t have even 10 years ago—not just sports betting, a whole number of other things … So yeah, I think we need to look at it and see what needs to get undone, possibly, or get done,” Rep. Huffman continued.
He also discussed the range of types of gambling now present in Ohio and his preference for revenue to go to organizations in the state, particularly charitable ones, rather than out-of-state businesses.
“I think we need to try to be flexible on that, again—making sure that it’s truly charitable and not a moneymaker for the administration, and that’s true for the fraternal organizations who do a lot of charitable work for a whole variety of things,” he said.
Rep. Huffman further noted there’s a limit on how much money and time Ohioans will put to gambling, saying sports betting isn’t “very interesting” to him personally so he doesn’t do it at all.
“Frankly, I’d rather that revenue help charitable folks than go to out-of-state national operators in their gambling operation,” he continued.
Responding to a question on the Senate’s passage of SB 293, setting an Election Day deadline for mail-in ballots, Rep. Huffman discussed how the constitutionality of accepting mail-in ballots after Election Day is the subject of a lawsuit accepted by the U.S. Supreme Court. He also mentioned the changes Ohio has already made to reduce that to four days rather than the previous 10.
He also noted a range of issues that can invalidate a mail-in ballot such as the lack of a stamp, putting it in the wrong mailbox, lack of signature, or voting for two people in one race. Those issues aren’t present for in-person voting, Rep. Huffman continued.
Depending on the “back and forth next week with the Senate,” he went on, Rep. Huffman expected session on Wednesday, November 19, will last “a long time.” If more work is needed, they’ll hold votes on Thursday, November 20, and potentially Wednesday, December 10, he said.
Full SNAP Benefits Coming Soon, ODJFS Says
Source: NEA Consulting
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently directed states to take “immediate steps” to get full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to households with missed or partial payments from the shutdown.
President Donald Trump has signed the government funding deal agreed to by Congress, securing through Federal Fiscal Year 2026 the money to pay for SNAP benefits.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) had begun payment of partial benefits under USDA orders as litigation played out on whether the Trump Administration was obligated to transfer money from elsewhere in order to enable full payments during the shutdown.
“ODJFS has begun the process but does not have an expected issuance date,” the state agency said.
The USDA urged states to plan ahead for next year to enable faster partial payments should another funding interruption happen.
Ohio Bill Requiring Legal Statement Prior to Abortion Treatment Could Sow Mistrust, Experts Say
Source: Ohio Capital Journal
New Ohio legislation that would require doctors to read a legal statement before medication abortions telling patients they can sue them could create a new barrier to constitutionally protected abortion care, experts say.
The Republican-led Ohio Senate Bill 309 would require healthcare professionals who prescribe drugs to induce an abortion to also provide a statement and written information to patients about their ability to sue their healthcare professionals, before the drugs can be prescribed.
The statement included in the language of the bill would read that “the state of Ohio wants you to be aware that you and your family may hold the manufacturer, distributor, your healthcare professional, and the healthcare facilities financially accountable” if the patients dies, is injured, or suffers complications.
Healthcare professionals, facilities, and manufacturers would also be held liable for “debilitating side effects” such as rupture of unknown ectopic pregnancy or infection “if the healthcare professional doesn’t address the side effect,” or “if the medication fails to terminate the pregnancy which results in a failed abortion or requires surgical intervention.”
Doctors, researchers, and advocates alike say the bill could bring a chilling effect to the relationship between doctors and their patients.
The new measure in the Ohio legislature wouldn’t address any supposed issues with the medication itself that anti-abortion groups and anti-abortion lawmakers bring up.
Conducting a medication abortion before providing the statement of legal liability could result in lawsuits from the patients, the maternal grandparents if the patient was a minor or died during the procedure, and the “father of the unborn child, if the father is married to the woman” at the time of the medication abortion, according to the bill.
The new legislation has been referred to the Ohio Senate Health Committee, but has not yet had a hearing scheduled.
Read the full article in the Ohio Capital Journal.