Medicaid freeze would hurt families, increase health costs

After a series of vetoes by the governor, the General Assembly seems primed for some last minute veto overrides before the end of what has been a very active lame-duck session. Of particular consequence is the threat of “freezing” the Medicaid expansion.

Evidence shows that this program is a true safety net, with the majority of enrollees leaving once they have the opportunity to find insurance through an employer.

In freezing Medicaid expansion, the state would taking an unprecedented and legally specious step that will hurt working families, increase health costs for employers and roll back a key weapon in the fight against opioid and heroin addiction.

Ohio’s expansion of Medicaid has been successful, connecting hundreds of thousands of buckeyes to higher incomes and more stable economic lives. This isn’t just speculation, as the data behind this claim is validated by twice created, independently developed (and General Assembly required) empirical research. Employment for individuals covered by the expansion increased, with the most common reason for disenrollment being tied to finding employment. Expansion enrollees also used more primary care, less emergency care (particularly in Appalachia) and parents were less dependent on other sources of funding for housing, food, utilities and were better able to manage debt. Importantly, Ohio’s uninsured rate is the lowest it’s been in its history, with expansion tied to reducing children’s uninsured rates. There is also evidence that expansion stabilized employer-sponsored insurance costs.

In freezing Medicaid expansion, the state would taking an unprecedented and legally specious step that will hurt working families, increase health costs for employers and roll back a key weapon in the fight against opioid and heroin addiction.

Ohio’s workforce is now healthier, poising the state for continued economic success if that health is maintained. Not only has utilization changed from more expensive settings to lower-cost ones, but individuals are addressing their chronic diseases, like diabetes and high blood pressure, more readily. This effective management has tremendous downstream cost savings for the whole system as people avoid expensive interventions. What’s more, nearly 26,000 Ohioans have quit smoking as the result of expansion, which saves employers money as they seek the best candidates to fill open positions.

Ohio has the dubious standing as the state with the second most overdose deaths in the nation. Simply put, we are in a crisis, and this is a crisis that knows no geography, party affiliation or, unfortunately, age. While the state has done everything it can to address this issue, there is probably no single investment as significant as Medicaid expansion. Nearly 100,000 expansion enrollees have been diagnosed with a substance-use disorder and, out of the $940 million Ohio spends on addiction, Medicaid represents $650 million of that with $300 million coming from expansion alone. If expansion is frozen, the newly addicted will be left behind, and those currently on the path to recovery may get the cold shoulder.

Ohio’s expansion of Medicaid has been successful, connecting hundreds of thousands of buckeyes to higher incomes and more stable economic lives

Six hundred forty thousand Ohioans rely on this coverage, but this is not a static group. Evidence shows that this program is a true safety net, with the majority of enrollees leaving once they have the opportunity to find insurance through an employer. This holiday season, we hope the General Assembly gifts the new DeWine administration, and the hundreds of thousands of Ohioans subject to the consequences of this decision, a moment of pause by foregoing this potentially disastrous vote.