By ANDY CHOW • JAN 11, 2018
The Trump Administration is clearing the way for states to attach work requirements for Medicaid. The announcement has sparked outrage among health care advocates. This can mean some changes for the state’s program.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released new guidelines that allow states to require a Medicaid recipient to work in order to get their health care coverage.
Steve Wagner with the Universal Health Care Action Network says there are many reasons why Medicaid beneficiaries may be unemployed, but being unmotivated is not at the top of the list.
This is creating an impediment to people who might’ve lost their job and in fact need help getting work, not an extra requirement that keeps them from getting the needed medical care that keeps them healthy.”
The state’s Medicaid department is already in the process of applying for a waiver to add work requirements, which was part of the budget passed last year. The office plans to take a close look at how their waiver can align with the new federal guidelines.
Call Your Representatives – Possible Vote on Trumpcare TOMORROW
The House has revived their Trumpcare bill again, this time with an amendment that would take away care from people with pre-existing conditions. The bill has more support this time around, and the House could vote TOMORROW. You must call your representative today and tell them not to vote for this bill.
Click here for a fact sheet on the harmful effects of Trumpcare.
We MUST get our message through to our representatives that this bill is destructive and will take health care away from millions. Please call your representatives TODAY!
Everyone should call their representatives, but it’s especially important to call if you live in one of these legislators’ districts:
Please encourage others in those districts to call, and visit our Facebook page for shareable graphics.
Congress Revives Trumpcare Again, Targets Pre-Existing Conditions
Once again, House Republicans are trying to revive their failed Trumpcare bill, this time with changes that could take away coverage from even more people, including people with pre-existing conditions. Click here for a refresher on what the original bill would mean for Ohio.
A change to the bill would allow states to request an exemption from rules that protect consumers. People with pre-existing conditions could again be charged much higher, unaffordable premiums, and insurance plans would no longer be required to provide “essential” services like maternity care and mental health care. There could be even more harmful changes that we don’t yet know about.
The House of Representatives will try to bring this bill to a vote next week when they return from recess.
Remember to take every opportunity to let your members of Congress know how important real health care is. We may be calling on you to raise your voice louder if the House moves forward with this bill.
Thank you for continuing to stand with us to protect our care.
National Day of Action Today to Protect Health Care
Today, April 19, is a National Day of Action to protect health care. Here are two things you can do:
Here’s how to call your members of Congress at their offices in Ohio:
Thank you for raising your voice to protect our care!
New Legislation Could Reduce Trend of Too Few Dentists and Too Much Decay
Today, Senators Peggy Lehner (R-Kettering) and Cecil Thomas (D-Cincinnati) introduced Senate Bill 98 (SB98), legislation that would allow dental therapists to practice in Ohio’s underserved communities. Dental therapists are specially trained professionals who can provide a limited number of treatment services like filling cavities. Allowing dental therapists to work for dentists would address the significant shortage of oral health professionals throughout Ohio.
New data from the Ohio Department of Health show that we continue to fail our children when it comes to oral health care. According to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), 51 percent of Ohio’s third graders have a history of tooth decay, and 17 percent have untreated tooth decay. Children from low-income families and those without private insurance have about two times more untreated cavities and toothaches. This new legislation could dramatically increase access to care in Ohio’s underserved communities.
“Access to oral health care has been Ohio’s number one unmet health need for children and low-income adults for more than two decades,” said Steve Wagner, Executive Director of Universal Health Care Action Network of Ohio (UHCAN Ohio). “This should be the last generation of children who suffer needlessly from lack of access to dental care.”
Nearly a third of the children did not get dental care because they had no insurance or Medicaid/insurance was not accepted by the provider. Another 30 percent could not afford care, 16 percent had to wait too long for an appointment, and eight percent had no way to get to a dentist.
The access problem is worsened by the lack of dentists in many communities. As of February 2017, ODH reports that Ohio has 88 dental health professional shortage areas, up from 56 in 2009 and 85 in 2016. The shortage areas are counties or communities where there are too few dentists to meet the communities’ needs.
“The expertise and experience of dentists are needed to provide complex care, but not all dental services need to be delivered by a dentist,” said Wagner. “Ohio would greatly benefit by having practitioners who can provide basic restorative care—the care that is most needed in underserved communities – and who can refer patients with more complex needs to a dentist.”
“Despite more than a decade of success in the U.S., out-of-date laws prevent dental therapists from employment in most states, including Ohio,” said David Maywhoor, Project Director of UHCAN Ohio’s Dental Access Now! campaign. “By allowing dental therapists to practice in our state, we can ensure that more children are not suffering from untreated tooth decay.”
Dental therapist programs are designed to help expand access to dental care in underserved communities. In Alaska, they have increased access to 45,000 Alaska Natives who could not get regular dental care before. In Minnesota, dental therapists have significantly increased care for underserved patients.
SB98 improves the dental care workforce to expand access to care in underserved areas by:
“We hope Senate Bill 98 will quickly make its way through the legislature,” continued Maywhoor. “Ohioans cannot wait any longer to get the care they need.”
Trumpcare Takes Health Care From The Poor And Old, Gives Tax Breaks To The Rich
Congress continues to move forward with its bill to repeal health care for millions of Ohioans. That bill, formally called the American Health Care Act but popularly referred to as Trumpcare, is awaiting a vote in the House of Representatives. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its analysis of Trumpcare on Monday, March 13th, and they show that millions of people would lose coverage.
According to CBO analysis, 14 million people would lose their health care coverage in 2018, increasing to 24 million in 2026, to finance tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. In Ohio people are at risk of losing their Medicaid coverage (especially those in the expanded Medicaid population), the ability to afford coverage as individuals, small business coverage, and employer coverage.
Cuts to the funding Ohio receives to care for low income older adults, children, those with disabilities, and the working poor would place a large burden on the state. An analysis released by the Center for Community Solutions showed that the cuts under Trumpcare would cost Ohio between $19 billion and $26 billion in funding between 2019 and 2025. Loss of the health care funding to the Medicaid program would hurt the health of over 700,000 Ohio residents and impair our ability to fight the opioid epidemic.
Trumpcare would cut premium tax credits for working Americans by an average of nearly $1,700, reducing support for rural, older, and low-income Americans. The bill also would repeal income-based cost sharing reductions, the small business tax credit, and the shared responsibility provisions.
Trumpcare would repeal around $575 billion in taxes on high-income individuals, according to figures from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. The bill would reinstate a tax break for insurance company CEO pay above $500,000; eliminate taxes on health insurance companies, drug corporations, and the medical device industry; and delay the insurance company “Cadillac tax.”
Call Senator Portman (202-224-3353) and your member of Congress and tell them not to vote for this bill that will cause millions of Americans to lose or pay more for coverage.
