Monday, October 21, 2013

Ohio accepts Medicaid expansion

This is very, very good news.  The plan means another 275,000 people get insurance coverage.

Via the Toledo Blade (which by the way, is a great name for a newspaper):

A little known budgetary panel today voted 5-2 to accept $2.56 billion in federal funds to pay for the controversial expansion of the federal-state health insurance of last resort.
Two Republicans joined the panel’s two Democrats and Gov. John Kasich’s appointed chairman to do what the 132-member General assembly would not — expand eligibility for Medicaid to some 275,000 additional Ohioans.
Kasich found himself in a similar position to fellow Republican Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. He understood that accepting the Medicaid expansion was the right thing to do from a budget standpoint, but had to overcome the ideology of conservatives in the legislature.  Snyder was able to cut a deal between moderate Republicans, Democrats and the Department of Health and Human Services to pass an expansion.

Kasich couldn't get the legislature to take it seriously, so he outflanked them by using this legislative panel that generally acts to review budget grants and accept federal funds that become available after a two-year budget is passed.

Credit where credit is due; I'm no Kasich fan, but he did the right thing here (with a bit of help from moderate Republicans, Democrats and a whole bunch of activists and experts pushing for him to accept the expansion).

A little known budgetary panel today voted 5-2 to accept $2.56 billion in federal funds to pay for the controversial expansion of the federal-state health insurance of last resort.
Two Republicans joined the panel’s two Democrats and Gov. John Kasich’s appointed chairman to do what the 132-member General assembly would not — expand eligibility for Medicaid to some 275,000 additional Ohioans.

Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/State/2013/10/21/State-budgetary-panel-votes-to-accept-2-56B-in-federal-funds-for-Medicaid-expansion.html#Xe4UK5EXhgQswPxc.99
A little known budgetary panel today voted 5-2 to accept $2.56 billion in federal funds to pay for the controversial expansion of the federal-state health insurance of last resort.
Two Republicans joined the panel’s two Democrats and Gov. John Kasich’s appointed chairman to do what the 132-member General assembly would not — expand eligibility for Medicaid to some 275,000 additional Ohioans.

Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/State/2013/10/21/State-budgetary-panel-votes-to-accept-2-56B-in-federal-funds-for-Medicaid-expansion.html#Xe4UK5EXhgQswPxc.99
A little known budgetary panel today voted 5-2 to accept $2.56 billion in federal funds to pay for the controversial expansion of the federal-state health insurance of last resort.
Two Republicans joined the panel’s two Democrats and Gov. John Kasich’s appointed chairman to do what the 132-member General assembly would not — expand eligibility for Medicaid to some 275,000 additional Ohioans.

Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/State/2013/10/21/State-budgetary-panel-votes-to-accept-2-56B-in-federal-funds-for-Medicaid-expansion.html#Xe4UK5EXhgQswPxc.99
A little known budgetary panel today voted 5-2 to accept $2.56 billion in federal funds to pay for the controversial expansion of the federal-state health insurance of last resort.
Two Republicans joined the panel’s two Democrats and Gov. John Kasich’s appointed chairman to do what the 132-member General assembly would not — expand eligibility for Medicaid to some 275,000 additional Ohioans.

Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/State/2013/10/21/State-budgetary-panel-votes-to-accept-2-56B-in-federal-funds-for-Medicaid-expansion.html#Xe4UK5EXhgQswPxc.99

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