News Releases

January Lobby Day Message: Support Medicaid Expansion for Ohio

Northeast Ohio Medicaid Expansion Coalition (NEO-MEC) members lobbied at the statehouse on Jan. 29 with one message: support Medicaid expansion for Ohio. The group, composed of a wide range of community organizations including The Center for Health Affairs, met with 24 lawmakers and staff representing Northeast Ohio, as well as key committee chairs and leaders of the General Assembly. Coalition members traveled to Columbus to educate lawmakers about the value of Medicaid expansion for Ohio with the hope of building support in the event that Governor Kasich would include it in his preliminary budget proposal. The decision on whether or not the expansion moves forward – since expansion was included in Kasich’s preliminary budget released less than one week later – now rests in the hands of the legislators who must vote to approve the budget. 

Many lawmakers were in favor of expansion but noted that their support had to be viewed in light of rest of the budget. In other words, despite their support of Medicaid expansion for Ohio, other items in the budget may compel them to vote against it, which would make it extremely unlikely expansion would move forward in the state. Though all lawmakers were open to discussion, several had concerns about capacity and how physicians, hospitals and other providers would accommodate the vast new number of patients with health coverage. Others voiced concerns about the future of the federal match, which starts at 100 percent in 2014 and declines incrementally until it reaches 90 percent in 2020, stating that though it is supposed to remain at 90 percent after 2020, they expected that it would drop much lower in actuality. Despite these concerns, overall, lawmakers were supportive. 

The Northeast Ohio Medicaid Expansion Coalition is a group of community organizations, spearheaded by Greater Cleveland Congregations, working together to expand Medicaid to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. Formed shortly after the Supreme Court decision on federal healthcare reform, which changed the Medicaid expansion provision to an option for states rather than a requirement, NEO-MEC is working on a variety of advocacy strategies to help key stakeholders understand how crucial Medicaid expansion is in Northeast Ohio. 

For additional information regarding Medicaid expansion for Ohio, see The Center’s November policy snapshot, Medicaid: Why Expanding Coverage Makes Sense. To learn more about NEO-MEC, contact Deanna Moore at 216.255.3614 or deanna.moore@chanet.org.