Ohio healthcare expansion bill delayed

June 21 2013

With the Affordable Care Act six months away from full implementation, many government organizations and healthcare facilities are shoring up their solutions to make sure they can handle an increase in patients.

According to a report from Columbus Business First, the Ohio Medicaid expansion plan may be delayed if it passes at all. Ohio House Speaker Bill Batchelder believes time has run out for a vote on expanding eligibility for Medicaid as well as a separate reform bill before lawmakers are on recess for the summer.

This does not mean the bill is dead. Batchelder added that he expects work to be done on the bill while the recess is taking place and currently the dates of the next sessions have not been set. If passed, this would raise income limits for joining Medicaid to 138 percent of poverty while also adding childless adults to the program.

Some officials stated that any kind of expansion would require up to six months to successfully roll out. The big issue revolves around who picks up the check. If the expansion is in place by January 1, 2014, the federal government will pick up the full cost of those added under the expansion instead of the usual split between the state and federal organizations.

If this bill is to get passed, either now or when the general assembly reconvenes later this year, it means an increase in the number of patients that will be seeking care. This means more healthcare products and equipment will be getting ordered and shipped out. By using a local Ohio courier service, any group can rest assured that shipping is not something it needs to worry about.