Hundreds rally at statehouse to support Kasich’s veto on Medicaid
Advocates, doctors and patients staged the rally on the eve of a scheduled veto override vote in the
Among them were some 160 employees of CareSource, downtown
CareSource serves 1.3 million Ohioans on Medicaid, including 300,000 statewide who were able to enroll in Medicaid thanks to an expansion under the Affordable Care Act, an expansion with Kasich embraced in 2013. In
"Literally, lives are at stake,"
Late Friday, Kasich used his veto power to reject several changes that his
administration says would lead to 500,000 people losing Medicaid coverage.
It is unclear whether House Speaker
Skilliter said roughly one-third of her 22 employees are on Medicaid. "Basic health care should be a basic right for all. The idea of cutting back on health care coverage for people who earn less is an idea that places ideology above the basic reality of how we should humanely care for ourselves," she said.
"Our 14,000 employees are on the front lines of caring for our residents who are confronting significant health challenges, such as the opiate epidemic, and they are vital to our state's success in combating them," Boosalis wrote in an open letter published Wednesday in the
"This is of huge interest for all of the state of
As part of the Affordable Care Act, the Kasich administration in 2013 agreed to expand Ohio Medicaid to cover single, low-income adults who make up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line. The change led to an extra 725,000 Ohioans enrolling -- and the federal government picks up 95 percent of the tab for this group and 63 percent of the bill for other Medicaid patients.
Opponents see the Affordable Care Act -- also known as "Obamacare" -- and expanded Medicaid as unsustainable.
The Kasich administration argues that an enrollment freeze would result in 500,000 Ohioans losing Medicaid coverage, lock people in poverty and lead to costly legal challenges. And the state would forfeit millions of dollars now used to fight the opioid addiction crisis, the governor's team says.
Last year, Ohio Medicaid paid
While the battle lines were drawn in
Leaders of CareSource see Medicaid as under attack at the state and federal level. Responding to earlier questions from this news outlet about recent proposed
"The legislation proposes deep cuts to Medicaid funding," Morris said. "The outcome would be devastating, not only for the CareSource members who gained health insurance coverage through Medicaid expansion, but for those who have been eligible for Medicaid since its inception. These are mothers, children, developmentally disabled and elderly in nursing homes."
Staff Writer
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