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.
OAFP and AAFP Urge HHS Leader to Reject Medicaid Work Requirements
The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) joined the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) in sending a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., urging him to reject the Group VIII 1115 Demonstration Waiver Application. This waiver proposes that for Medicaid recipients to qualify for Group VIII under Ohio’s Medicaid expansion, they must be at least 55 years old, employed, enrolled in school or job training, in a recovery program, or have a serious physical or mental health illness.
If Ohio’s proposed Medicaid requirements are implemented, up to 450,000 Ohioans could lose health coverage. This loss of coverage subjects the entire health system to increases in uncompensated care costs and an increased uninsured rate. The loss of coverage extends beyond individual health outcomes and can lead to increased medical debt, reduced access to preventive care along with placing additional unnecessary administrative burdens on physicians.
The OAFP opposes the proposed requirements and urges Secretary Kennedy to reject the waiver to protect the health, stability, and well-being of Ohioans who rely on Medicaid coverage.
U.S. Senate Confirms Dr. Oz to Lead Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Source: The Ohio Capital Journal
The United States Senate recently confirmed former television personality and one-time Pennsylvania political candidate Mehmet Oz, MD, as director of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
The 53-45 party-line vote places Dr. Oz at the helm of the federal agency responsible for administering healthcare programs relied on by 1 in 4 Americans, including children, seniors, and lower-income people.
His confirmation comes as Republicans in Congress look to Medicaid, a state-federal partnership that covers medical expenses for some low-income and older Americans, as a source for hundreds of billions in spending cuts to help pay for extending the 2017 GOP tax law.
Dr. Oz testified during his confirmation hearing in mid-March that there are several “painful truths” confronting federal programs within CMS.
“Healthcare expenditures are growing 2 to 3% faster than our economy; not sustainable. The Medicare trust fund will be insolvent within a decade, that’s the 2.9% taken out of your pay per check,” Dr. Oz said. “Medicaid is the number one expense item in most states, consuming 30% of those state budgets, and that’s crowding out essential services like schools and public safety that many of you spent your careers trying to develop. Our healthcare cost per person in this country is twice that of other developed nations.”
Dr. Oz said that chronic disease, which he argued is “linked to poor lifestyle choices,” drives much of the federal spending on healthcare. He singled out obesity as a central issue.
Dr. Oz testified he intended to “empower beneficiaries with better tools and more transparency,” “incentivize healthcare providers to optimize care with real-time information” in part by using artificial intelligence to “liberate doctors and nurses from paperwork,” and modernize efforts that track waste, fraud, and abuse.
Read the full article in The Ohio Capital Journal.
Hospital Price Transparency Act Becomes Ohio Law
Source: The Ohio House of Representatives
The Hospital Price Transparency Act, policy championed by State Representatives Ron Ferguson (R-Wintersville, OH) and Tim Barhorst (R-Fort Loramie, OH), recently became Ohio law.
This law will directly increase hospital price transparency and reduce the cost of healthcare in Ohio by standardizing all hospitals in Ohio and making their charges public.
“This law will empower Ohioans with clear, up-front information about the costs of medical care,” said Rep. Ferguson during a recent press conference. “This is about the ability of patients to make informed decisions, shop for affordable options, and avoid surprise bills that can devastate families.”
“This bill is going to establish a true free market in healthcare,” said Rep. Barhorst during the press conference. “This gives patients and their employer-sponsored plan the opportunity to partner together for the sake of transparency and quality healthcare, resulting in better health outcomes for Ohioans.”