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.
Rising Healthcare Costs Leave Ohioans Wanting Action Ahead of Midterm Elections
Source: The Athens Messenger
With the midterm elections only two months away, Ohioans find themselves dealing with rising healthcare costs as they prepare to head to the polls.
Across the political spectrum, residents of the Buckeye State want action by their elected officials to tackle the rising cost of healthcare, according to data from the 2026 Altarum Institute Consumer Healthcare Experience State Survey.
Among those surveyed, 68% faced a healthcare affordability burden in the past year, 75% worry about affording healthcare in the future and 66% of all respondents delayed or went without healthcare due to cost in the last year.
To solve these issues, 91% of Ohioans want the government to limit the cost of prescription drugs, 92% want the government to prohibit fees that aren’t connected to the cost of care and 89% want the government to invest in primary care services.
Similarly, a survey conducted on behalf of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network found that 70% of likely voters in Ohio were more likely to elect a candidate who was dedicated to ensuring healthcare was affordable and accessible.
Read the full article in The Athens Messenger.
Drive Times to Maternity Care Likely to Increase for Rural Residents with Medicaid, Study Finds
Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
While Ohio Medicaid enrollees who live in rural areas have a shorter drive time to maternity care than those in most other states, recent federal policy changes are expected to lead to longer driving times as more rural obstetric units close, a new study found (source: More Rural Hospital Closures Would Mean Long Drives for Pregnant Women Seeking Obstetric Care, Stateline, August 28).
The KFF study suggests that the closure of rural obstetrics units will accelerate because of the healthcare changes included in HR 1, the federal reconciliation bill signed into law last summer. That law will reduce some payments to hospitals and cut Medicaid enrollment by introducing work requirements.
Nationwide, the median drive time between hospitals providing inpatient maternity care to Medicaid enrollees and the closest in-state alternative is 43 minutes for rural hospitals compared with 13 minutes for urban hospitals, the analysis found.
The states with the longest potential driving times, according to the KFF analysis, are Alaska, Nevada, and North Dakota. The states with the shortest drive times are New Jersey, Louisiana, and Ohio.