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.
Request for Physician Feedback
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is seeking public comment on Ohio Revised Code (OAC) proposed rule changes in regards to Lead Screening and Assessment. New rules include enhanced reporting and documentation requirements, updated definitions and standards, stricter lead hazard and clearance levels, and more.
Review all proposed rules changes and submit comments by Sunday, October 4.
Federal Hemp Ban Delayed by a Month
Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
The House recently passed a short-term government funding bill that will give the intoxicating hemp industry more time to fight a looming crackdown on its products (Source: Hemp Ban Set to be Delayed a Month after House Passes Funding Bill, The Hill, September 1).
The continuing resolution, which funds the government through Friday, December 11, overwhelmingly passed both the House and Senate and now heads to the desk of President Donald Trump.
The measure postpones for a month a federal ban on most hemp-derived THC products, including gummies and beverages.
President Trump signed the hemp ban into law last year as part of a broader spending bill to reopen the government after a record-long shutdown. The legislation closed what critics called the “hemp loophole,” brought about by the 2018 Farm Bill, which removed hemp from the controlled substances list and opened a massive new business environment.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson was among 35 attorneys general and chief legal officers who signed a letter last month urging Congress to keep federal restrictions on intoxicating hemp products in place.
Attorney General Wilson noted that several states, including Ohio, have already begun changing their laws in anticipation of the federal changes. Ohio lawmakers passed Senate Bill 56 at the end of 2025, which, among other things, aligns Ohio’s definition of hemp with the looming federal changes. A judge later blocked enforcement of the Ohio law, allowing 10 companies to continue selling the products.
Report: Only Half of U.S. Hospitals Complying with Federal Price Transparency Rules, Ohio Lags Behind National Rate
Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
Even though compliance rates have reached a record high, only about half of U.S. hospitals are fully complying with federal price transparency rules, according to a recently released report (Source: Roughly Half of Hospitals Complying with Price Transparency Rules: Report, The Hill, September 10).
The nonprofit group Patient Rights Advocate released its eighth hospital price transparency report, which found that 49.4% of hospitals it reviewed were following the federal hospital price transparency rules that have been in place since 2021.
Of the 79 Ohio hospitals reviewed in the report, 28 (35%) were compliant and just 6% met the report’s criteria for sufficient pricing data, which includes “displaying a sufficient number of negotiated charges to enable easy comparison of prices by consumers, employers, and technology developers.”
Health Misinformation Strains Physician-Patient Relationships, Survey Finds
Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer
Health misinformation has become an increasingly common challenge for physicians nationwide, with nearly all doctors surveyed reporting they encountered patients influenced by false or inaccurate medical information during the past year, according to a new survey released by the Physicians Foundation.
The survey, conducted in collaboration with Medscape and based on responses from more than 1,000 practicing physicians, examined how misinformation is affecting patient care, physician confidence, and trust within the healthcare system.
Researchers found misinformation is now a routine part of medical practice. Nearly every physician surveyed, 99.9%, said they encountered patients influenced by misinformation in the past year. More than two-thirds, 69%, said they encounter such patients a moderate amount to a great deal of the time, an increase from 61% reported in a similar 2025 survey.
Physicians also reported challenges in maintaining trust with patients. About one-third, 34%, said they often or very often experience a breakdown of trust because of misinformation, while 31% reported increased conflict with patients during medical visits.
Read the full article in Cleveland Plain Dealer.