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.
Update on Recent Court Decision Affecting ACIP
Source: American Academy of Family Physicians
Recently, a federal court issued a preliminary ruling in a lawsuit challenging recent actions by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The court paused the appointments of most current ACIP members and temporarily blocked implementation of recent ACIP recommendations, including the January overhaul of the childhood immunization schedule. While the court did not explicitly ban ACIP from meeting, its decision prevents the committee as planned in March. Health and Human Services (HHS) must also follow ACIP recommendations made before May 2025 until the court issues a final decision.
- HHS may try to appeal the court’s ruling, but this is unlikely to happen this week (it could happen before ACIP’s next meeting, set for Sunday-Tuesday, June 24-26).
- If the court’s decision remains in place, ACIP may be unable to meet unless new members are appointed under existing federal requirements, which could take several months or more.
- ACIP recommendations are statutory minimum insurance coverage requirements. This ruling ensures that all ACIP recommendations in effect as of April 2025 remain covered by private insurers, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program.
- Family physicians should continue to reference the AAFP’s Immunization Schedules to guide immunization recommendations.
March Issue of AAFP’s Family Medicine Advocacy Rounds
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has released its March issue of Family Medicine Advocacy Rounds, a monthly tip sheet to educate, engage, and update you on the latest policy issues affecting family physicians and their patients.
- AAFP CEO to Testify Before Congress on U.S. Healthcare Affordability
- AAFP Takes Family Medicine Priorities to Capitol Hill
- Department of Education Rule Would Jeopardize Primary Care Workforce
- Family Physicians Weigh in on AI Adoption in Clinical Care
- AAFP Urges Congress to Support Health Care Research.
Ohio Ban on Hemp-Infused Products Goes into Effect; Ballot Effort to Block Law Falls Short
Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
Ohio businesses won’t be able to sell hemp-infused THC drinks or gummies after advocates failed to block a law banning those products (Source: Ohio to Restrict THC Drinks, Hemp Products After Group Fails to Block Law, The Columbus Dispatch, March 18).
Ohioans for Cannabis Choice didn’t collect enough signatures for its proposed referendum on Senate Bill (SB) 56, which Governor Mike DeWine signed in December 2025. The law, which took effect this week, restricts hemp-derived cannabis products, bans THC beverages at bars and breweries, and changes the recreational marijuana law approved by voters in 2023.
Senate Bill 56 mirrors a new federal law that bans hemp products with more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container and synthetic substances such as delta-8 THC. That legislation was included in the appropriations bill that ended the federal government shutdown in November 2025.
1 in 10 ACA Enrollees Dropped Coverage this Year, KFF Poll Finds
Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
More than half of returning Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace enrollees report their costs have risen substantially this year and nearly one in 10 people dropped their coverage, according to a recently published results of a KFF survey (Source: 1 In 10 ACA Enrollees Dropped Their Coverage Due to Rising Healthcare Costs: Poll, ABC News, March 19).
More than half, or 51%, of returning ACA enrollees said their healthcare costs are “a lot higher” this year compared to last year. Of this group, four in 10 specifically said their premiums are “a lot higher.” Meanwhile, 9% of Marketplace enrollees dropped their ACA coverage and are currently uninsured.
The Health Policy Institute of Ohio’s (HPIO) healthcare access and affordability series includes data and analysis about the current challenges facing working Ohioans and examines how recent policy changes, such as the federal reconciliation bill and the state budget bill, will impact access to care and affordability in Ohio.
Ohio Holds Steady at $1B in NIH Grants Despite Funding Threats
Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer
Despite last year’s threatened cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding grants, Ohio received about $1.01 billion in NIH grants and contracts during the fiscal year 2025 — almost equal to what the state received in 2024, according to a recent annual analysis.
NIH grants in fiscal year 2025, which ran from October 2024 through September 2025, drove $2.6 billion in statewide economic impact and supported more than 12,000 Ohio jobs, according to United for Medical Research’s annual analysis of the economic impact of NIH research funding.
Last February, the NIH announced a 15% cap on indirect-cost reimbursement in February 2025, but courts quickly blocked it, and a federal judge later issued a permanent injunction a few months later, press reports said.
Although total funding remained strong, fiscal year 2025 saw significant change in how awards were distributed. To meet a September 30, 2025, deadline following earlier delays, NIH made greater use of multi-year funding. While this allowed NIH to spend its budget, it led to significantly fewer total grants awarded in fiscal year 2025, the report said.
Read the full article in The Cleveland Plain Dealer.