OH – Governor Releases 2017 Executive Budget Proposal

February 2017 ~

On January 31, Ohio governor, Kasich, unveiled his Executive Budget for 2017 which incorporates a number of Medicaid initiatives, including expanding managed long term services and supports (MLTSS).

According to the Office of Health Transformation, the initiatives within Governor Kasich’s Budget aim to:

• Coverage Works
  • Maintain health care coverage for very low-income Ohioans
  • Provide access to services that reduce infant mortality and opioid abuse
  • Position Ohio to benefit from federal health care reform
  • Require coverage first before using taxpayer dollars for health services
  • More details available here
• Improve Care
  • Reduce the state share of Medicaid spending $1.8 billion over two years
  • Shift remaining populations from fee-for-service into managed care
  • Replace expiring sales tax revenue with a stable alternative
• Prioritize Home and Community Based Services
  • Serve almost 100,000 Ohioans in home and community based settings
  • Increase rates for home and community based services $61 million
  • Provide support for individuals who want to self-direct their care
• Rebuild Community Behavioral Health System Capacity
  • Integrate Medicaid-reimbursed physical and behavioral health services
  • Require benefit parity in Medicaid physical and behavioral health services
  • Strengthen community mental health and addiction services and supports
• Reform Provider Payments
  • Support performance payments for comprehensive primary care
  • Reduce hospital reimbursement 2.2 percent in 2018 and 5.7 percent in 2019
  • Move nursing facility reimbursement into managed care
  • Adopt a single preferred drug list for the Medicaid pharmacy benefit
• Improve Program Performance
  • Integrate all Medicaid eligibility, claims, and provider enrollment functions
  • Manage non-emergency medical transportation through a broker
  • Coordinate efforts to fight fraud, waste and abuse
  • Create a new, mostly federally-funded lead abatement program

Source(s): Office of Health Transformation: Coverage Works, January 31, 2017; Office of Health Transformation: Improve Care Coordination, January 31, 2017; Office of Health Transformation: Prioritize Home and Community Based Services, January 31, 2017; Office of Health Transformation: Rebuild Community Behavioral Health System Capacity, January 31, 2017; Office of Health Transformation: Reform Provider Payments, January 31, 2017; Office of Health Transformation: Improve Program Performance, January 31, 2017;