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.
Ohio Economists Split on Medicaid Fraud-Prevention Proposals
Source: Ohio Capital Journal
After the Ohio General Assembly recently passed measures aimed at limiting fraud in the state’s Medicaid program, a panel of economists is split on their potential effectiveness.
- Requires the Ohio Department of Medicaid to suspend payments if the state attorney general or auditor submit a credible allegation of fraud
- Enhances criminal penalties for fraud
- Requires electronic verification of home-care visits if the provider doesn’t live in the home
- Provides whistleblower protections.
When Scioto Analysis surveyed 13 economists on whether the reforms would be beneficial, they mostly seemed to say that it’s hard to tell.
They were first asked whether they agreed that “Medicaid fraud prevention programs that increase penalties and require additional verification and inspections will create fiscal savings that outweigh the administrative costs of running them.”
Five agreed, four disagreed, two were uncertain and one had no opinion.
Read the full article in Ohio Capital Journal.
OU Receives First Rural Health Transformation Program Award
Source: Hannah News
Governor Mike DeWine announced that Ohio University will receive $10 million from the first Rural Health Transformation Program to strengthen the rural healthcare workforce—the first of many initiatives that will be funded through the $202 million awarded to Ohio from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which were announced in December 2025.
“We are excited to see the first of the funds going out to begin the important work of improving the health and well-being of Ohioans in our rural communities,” said Gov. DeWine in a prepared statement. “We remain grateful to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, MD, MBA, for their support of Ohio’s proposal.”
Ohio will work to strengthen the rural healthcare workforce by connecting employers, schools, and community organizations to recruit, train, and retain health professionals in rural communities.
With this funding, Ohio University will collaborate with numerous statewide partners to help rural communities address their healthcare workforce needs in several ways. Funding will expand healthcare exploration for Ohio students in 8th grade and high school through programs such as summer camps and career fairs, and by exposing college undergraduates and graduate students to opportunities in healthcare. Ohio University will also expand apprenticeships for high school students and recent graduates with paid positions in healthcare so they can enter the workforce upon graduation or while they obtain required education.
Read the full article in Hannah News.
Medicaid Funding is Resuming for Planned Parenthood After Being Cut Off for Most of a Year
Source: Associated Press
Planned Parenthood and two smaller regional abortion providers are resuming billing Medicaid for services other than abortion after being cut off for most of a year.
The defunding, which was mandated in President Donald Trump’s big tax and policy law last year, has been blamed in the closure of multiple clinics as well as a reduction in the number of Planned Parenthood patients being screened for breast cancer or tested for sexually transmitted infections.
The Medicaid billing was allowed to resume recently.
The restored funding does not mean the battle over federal abortion policy has ended, and not all services that were cut will return.
Read the full article in Associated Press.