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.
June Issue of AAFP’s Family Medicine Advocacy Rounds
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has released its June 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.
- 300+ Family Physicians Call on Lawmakers to Support Family Medicine
- Family Physicians Oppose Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements
- AAFP to ED: Ensure Federal Aid Policies Support Primary Care
- Regulatory Roundup.
Gov. DeWine Criticizes U.S. Supreme Court Decision Ending TPS for Thousands of Haitian Migrants
Source: Knox Pages
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine criticized a U.S. Supreme Court decision issued June 25 allowing the federal government to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of Haitian migrants, calling the underlying policy to remove them “a mistake.”
The high court’s 6-3 ruling in Mullin v. Doe cleared the way for the Trump Administration to cancel or allow the expiration of the humanitarian program, which shields foreign nationals from deportation if their home countries are plagued by armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary crises.
Gov. DeWine, a Republican, emphasized that while the ruling settled the immediate legal question, the real-world economic and humanitarian fallout would heavily impact Ohio—particularly the city of Springfield, which has seen a large influx of Haitian arrivals in recent years.
“As a result of today’s ruling, the over 10,000 Haitians who have been living in Ohio (mostly in the Springfield area) legally through TPS will now be here illegally and will be subject to immediate deportation,” Gov. DeWine said in a statement.
“This also means that while these Haitians were working and contributing to our community and economy yesterday, today it is now illegal to employ them,” the governor said.
The governor pointed to the volatile conditions in Haiti, noting violent gangs control most of the country, the government is barely functional, and the economy remains in shambles.
He also highlighted existing federal advisories against traveling to the Caribbean nation, as well as a Federal Aviation Administration ban on U.S. commercial flights to Haiti due to the danger of gunfire from gangs.
“Changing the immigration status of these individuals is not in the best interest of the United States, nor Ohio,” Gov. DeWine said.
The Supreme Court’s decision reverses lower court rulings that had blocked the Department of Homeland Security from terminating the protections for hundreds of thousands of migrants from Haiti and Syria.
A Lack of Funding, A Glut of Stigma: How Ohio LGBTQ+ Health Outcomes are Impacted
Source: Ohio Capital Journal
For the 1 in 10 Ohioans who identify as LGBTQ+, media representation and social acceptance may have improved, but stigma and discrimination still impact them in large aspects of their lives, including healthcare access, a new report shows.
State data cited by the Health Policy Institute of Ohio (HPIO) showed that 10.6% of Ohioans are a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and a 2026 Health Value Dashboard released by HPIO showed health disparities particularly in the area of mental health for LGBTQ+ Ohioans.
The data showed that gay, lesbian, and bisexual state residents are 2.6 times more likely than other Ohioans to report “frequent mental distress,” and transgender individuals are 3.5 times more likely to report it.
For researchers who study the impacts of policy and other efforts for and against the LGBTQ+ community, a consistent theme exists when it comes to a lack of support, resources, and even data showcasing this particular population.
Read the full article in the Ohio Capital Journal.