Issue 2 raises questions for public sector retirees
More than a dozen local members of
According to the League, the initiative limits the amount the
The initiative affects about four million Ohioans who receive drugs paid for by the state. The majority of Ohioans who have their own private insurance, Medicare or another non-state provided insurance -- about seven million people, according to the League -- won't be affected, however.
"Specifically, (Issue 2) would forbid state agencies to enter into any purchasing agreement with drug manufacturers unless the net cost of the drug is the same or less than that paid by the
But that "net cost" is one of the important terms left undefined in the initiative's current language, according to the League, along with others like "drug" and "state."
The issue is meant to address spiking drug costs, one of the main drivers behind rising health care costs, and could end up saving the state about
But it doesn't address prices of drugs not purchased by the
Retirees
"They're going to keep going up," Christine said. "Medicaid's going to go out and buy drugs cheaper, supposedly -- so what? People like us are going to pay for that."
Jim said he'll vote no due to a provision that obligates the state to cover legal fees for the initiative's defense, should it come under fire.
In the case of retired public employees, it's still unclear whether the state's Public Employee Retirement System would be considered a state entity affected by the issue's passage -- once
Furthermore, the prescription drug contracts negotiated by the
"It's a very confusing issue," Howe told those gathered Friday.
A very similar measure was defeated in
Several state organizations have come out against the issue, including the
The political advertisements for and against Issue 2 all sound the same to
"They tell you vote no 'because,' and they tell you vote yes 'because' and it all sounds like the same reasons," she said.
Her daughter Denise, also of
"I like to be informed, so I find something and I research the hell out of it," she said. "Everything I've found on Issue 2 just confuses me even more.
"So I'll probably end up voting no on it."
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