The Ohio Controlling Board approved an expansion of Medicaid in Ohio on Monday, bringing health insurance to thousands of previously uninsured Athens County residents.
Expansion will extend Medicaid benefits to Ohioans earning up to 138 percent of the poverty level and to adults without any children or a disability at this poverty level — that includes more than 2,000 Athens County residents, according to one analysis.
“The Medicaid expansion is certainly important for a lot of low-income, working Ohioans to have access to health-care coverage,” said state Rep. Debbie Phillips, D-Albany, whose district includes part of Athens County.
The Health Policy Institute of Ohio projected this spring that 2,250 previously uninsured Athens County residents 19 to 64 years old would get insurance through Medicaid expansion by 2015.
Another study by the institute said that during the same time frame, expansion would add 89 new jobs in the county and would generate almost $80,000 in annual local sales tax revenue.
The controlling board’s 5-2 vote ushered an end to a half-year of debate that started after the original proposal for expansion, a part of President Barack Obama’s health care law, was stripped from Gov. John Kasich’s version of the budget this spring.
Now some groups are already threatening litigation about the way the expansion was passed, something that might delay the expansion as the legality is figured out, Phillips said.
Despite the controversy at the Statehouse, the move by the controlling board will largely benefit those in Athens County, said Nick Claussen, spokesman for the Athens County Department of Job and Family Services.
“We’ve been advocating expanding Medicaid just because so many people need it and expanding it would be very positive for people in Athens County,” Claussen said. “It will help people with mental health problems, with drug problems and with addictions.”
Claussen added that the expansion is an especially “crucial” part of the Affordable Care Act.
In a prepared statement, Gov. John Kasich reiterated Claussen’s sentiments.
“Together with the General Assembly, we’ve improved both the quality of care from Medicaid and its value for taxpayers,” Kasich said. “Today’s action takes another positive step in this mutual effort. I look forward to continuing our partnership with the General Assembly to build upon the progress we’ve already made to make Medicaid work better for Ohioans.”
— Staff writer Lucas Daprile contributed to this article.
sh335311@ohiou.edu
