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.
Trump Administration Tightens Oversight of State Medicaid Demonstration Programs
Source: Ohio Capital Journal
The Trump Administration told states recently it will exercise more stringent financial oversight of waivers that states use to design pilot programs under Medicaid, the state-federal program for low-income people and those with disabilities.
In letters sent to state Medicaid directors, the administration announced the changes to Section 1115 “demonstration waivers,” which states apply for and use to test innovative pilot programs that expand Medicaid coverage or benefits. It’s the latest in a series of administration crackdowns on Medicaid spending.
The demonstration projects aim to improve health outcomes for Medicaid enrollees or the administration of the state’s overall Medicaid program. Waivers can involve changes to financing structures or implement special coverage benefits for specific populations.
For example, several states have been using demonstration waivers to help enroll soon-to-be-released incarcerated people in Medicaid. And in 2024, waivers were approved in four states that allowed for Medicaid coverage of traditional healing practices at tribal health facilities and urban Indian organizations.
But starting Friday, January 1, 2027, the administration said, applications won’t be approved unless the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services chief actuary “certifies” that waivers won’t result in more federal spending compared with what spending would be without the demonstration program.
Read the full article in Ohio Capital Journal.
Federal Judge Temporarily Halts Ohio Ban on THC Beverages
Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
An Ohio law that went into effect in March and restricts hemp beverages and other hemp-derived products from being sold won’t be enforceable for the next 14 days, and perhaps longer (Source: Federal Judge Grants 10 Hemp Companies TRO in Ohio, Cannabis Business Times, June 15).
A federal judge granted 10 companies that sell the hemp-derived products a temporary restraining order (TRO) on June 15, blocking Ohio officials from “taking any criminal, civil, administrative, or regulatory enforcement action” against them for at least two weeks, so long as their activities fall within the federal parameters of the 2018 Farm Bill.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey J. Helmick granted the TRO after Cleveland-based Titan Logistics Group and its fellow plaintiffs filed a class-action lawsuit on June 4 in the Northern District of Ohio, arguing that Senate Bill (SB) 56, which Governor Mike DeWine signed in December 2025, violates the U.S. Constitution because of its “discriminatory effect on interstate commerce.”
Under S.B. 56, Ohio redefined hemp to include a 0.3% total THC threshold and banned intoxicating hemp products that contain more than 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container, as well as any cannabinoids that are unnaturally produced or synthesized outside of the plant. These provisions mirror a forthcoming federal ban that is not set to take effect until November 2026.
New Federal ACA Rules Aim to Boost Choices, Could Drive Down Enrollment
Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
Wide-ranging Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace changes set to take effect next year include new offerings such as plans with 30% higher out-of-pocket costs, and others with no set networks of doctors and hospitals (Source: Long-Awaited Rule Aims to Boost ACA Choices While Embracing Higher Deductibles, KFF Health News, June 15).
The administration says such plan, which were finalized by CMS in mid-May 2026, expand consumers’ choices and may carry lower premiums.
The combined effect of the new provisions could not only cost $1.3 billion each year to implement, but also reduce enrollment by up to an additional 2 million next year. That would come on top of already anticipated sign-up decreases this year because of higher premiums and smaller subsidy payments.
Over time, lower ACA marketplace enrollment can boost premiums if insurers suspect their costs are rising because healthier people drop coverage more than sicker members do.