AARP Urges Immediate Action on Ohio House Bill

Jane Taylor, state director for AARP Ohio, issued the following statement this morning, urging the Ohio House of Representative to take immediate and bipartisan action on the Medicaid reform bill introduced Wednesday by state Rep. Barbara Sears, R-Toledo, to extend Medicaid coverage for uninsured Ohioans who earn no more than $15,400 a year:

“The proposal introduced by State Rep. Barbara Sears addresses two of the major concerns identified in debate about accepting federal funds to expand Medicaid to uninsured Ohioans at 138% of the poverty level.

“This proposed legislation strengthens state legislative oversight of the Medicaid program and includes a ‘circuit breaker’ that automatically shuts down any coverage extension should the federal government back away from its financial commitment.

“We urge the Ohio House to begin hearings on this bill next week and strongly encourage bipartisan legislative action by July 1. Time is of the essence. The administration needs six months to implement Medicaid reform in order to avoid any loss of revenue.”