OH – House Approves 325 Budget Amendments
May 2017 ~
The Ohio House, on May 2nd, gave final approval to its $63.7 billion, two-year state budget plan with a vote of 58-37.
The approvals under House Bill 49 incorporate several amendments toward the efforts of fighting the state’s heroin and opioid crisis, funding to reduce the sales tax burden on Medicaid managed care organizations, and approval requirements for Medicaid expansion.
Of the 325 total budget amendments accepted by the House Finance Committee, those impacting healthcare and Medicaid include:
- Approval from the state’s bipartisan Controlling Board before funding coverage of expansion members every six months;
- Grants an additional $100 million to nursing homes over two years;
- Adds $171 million to combat the opioid crisis;
- Cuts to the Bureau for Children with Medical Handicaps program;
- Medicaid spending on hospitals is limited to $7 billion a year;
- Hospitals, outpatient centers or ambulatory surgical centers must provide a good faith estimate for a procedure at least seven days in advance upon request;
- Ban the addition of long-term care patients on Medicaid to managed care plans until 2021 while a study committee reviews the issue;
- Requirements for state officials to seek work requirement waivers from the General Assembly for some Ohioans enrolled in Medicaid through the expansion.
The bill now moves onto the state Senate for review and further revisions. The budget has a set deadline clear both chambers by June 30.
Source(s): Cincinnati.com; HMA Weekly Roundup; KHN Morning Briefing; Statehouse News Bureau; The Columbus Dispatch; The Ohio Legislature;