The Ohio Department of Insurance recently released a report detailing the expected effects of “Obamacare” on the state, but Athens County job and health officials are uncertain how the law will affect the county.
According to a report released by Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor (who also directs the Ohio Department of Insurance), “individual premiums could increase by as much as 55 to 85 percent in 2014.”
The report also claimed that “more than 1 million Ohioans are expected to join the state's Medicaid rolls in 2014 and more than 500,000 (are) expected to join the government-subsidized individual exchange.” The “Affordable Care Act” will establish state-run health insurance exchanges that Obama said will lower health insurance costs.
Under the law, Ohio would have to finance the cost of the exchange, which could cost between $19 and $34 million.
“We don’t know how it will affect us, like with the rules and regulations,” Nick Claussen, the Community Relations Coordinator for Athens County Job and Family Services. “(We) didn’t receive any information on it.”
Despite Tuesday’s grim report, Athens County still has not received any information about how it will affect locals. However, the plan will not be fully implemented until 2014 and more information could come later.
But according to Claussen, “(as of now) they didn’t send us anything.”
