On Thursday, April 25, the leaders of three of Ohio’s largest human services agencies testified before the Senate Finance Committee as the group held its second informal hearing on the state budget bill (HB 166). Given that the House of Representatives has not yet adopted a substitute version of the bill (sub. bill), senators have...
Author: Adam White (Adam White)
Governor’s budget requests $200M in new behavioral health funding as “RecoveryOhio” initiative takes shape
Within minutes of taking the oath of office in January, Governor Mike DeWine issued an executive order establishing the RecoveryOhio Advisory Council to guide his new administration’s efforts to address Ohio’s ongoing crisis of drug addiction and mental illness. The council’s appointees are comprised of advocates and experts across systems, representing state and local governments,...
Bridging the SNAP gap: How Ohio is mitigating the federal shutdown’s lingering impact on food assistance
A month ago, amid the backdrop of a prolonged partial shutdown of the federal government, I wrote about the extreme consequences Ohio would face if federal funding for food assistance were to run out before the shutdown was resolved. Thankfully, with the shutdown ending on January 25 and the recent passage of a spending bill...
Extreme consequences across Ohio if SNAP benefits not funded
One out of every six Ohioans relies on help from the federal government to buy groceries for themselves or their families each month through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly “food stamps”). In Cuyahoga County, that number is one in five. And even in Geauga County – the county with the lowest poverty rate...
Medication Assisted Treatment Bills Considered by Legislature in Lame Duck
On Wednesday, November 28, the House Health Committee heard testimony on two separate bills that each aim to expand access to Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorders by loosening restrictions on pharmacists who dispense or administer MAT drugs. Proponents of Senate Bill 119 and House Bill 601 each testified to the importance of...
New Census data offers insight on how work requirements may affect low-income Ohioans’ access to food assistance
Each year, the release of new census data from the year before offers a chance to learn the latest changes in population shifts, poverty rates, insurance coverage and other important indicators within our communities. Data and policy wonks are often quick to point to certain policy decisions and social trends that drive the outcomes shown...
Lawmakers consider whether Ohio Medicaid is overpaying for pharmacy benefits – and what health outcomes are being achieved, June JMOC Pt. 2
This is the second of a two-part blog covering the June 28, 2018 meeting of the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee. The first part, addressing the committee’s discussion of Behavioral Health Redesign, can be found here. The business models of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have come under scrutiny from both the media and state investigators in...
Administration, Managed Care Plans Signal They’re Ready for Final Phase of Behavioral Health Redesign, June JMOC Pt. 1
This is the first of a two-part blog covering the June 28, 2018 meeting of the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee. The second part addresses the committee’s discussion on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and can be found here. On July 1, behavioral health providers began submitting claims for services to Ohio’s five Medicaid managed care plans...
Medicaid Work Requirement Waiver to be Submitted to Federal Government by End of April, ODM Director Informs JMOC
At the April meeting of the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee (JMOC), the Director of the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM), Barbara Sears, notified committee members that her department intends to submit Ohio’s request for federal waiver authority to implement work requirements for the Medicaid expansion population by the end of this month. The Center for...
IMD waivers and the opiate epidemic: Ohio, other states and money
By: Loren Anthes, Adam White The opiate crisis in Ohio has precipitated many policy conversations about how to curb opiate-based mortality, provide better treatment and encourage recovery. Providers, lawmakers and The Center for Community Solutions have all looked at the ways in which Medicaid policy could be leveraged to address this need. As we have...