This opinion piece appeared in The Hill. You can read the full piece by clicking the link below.

“Ohio is a bellwether state — it has always has been. So as the U.S. Senate grapples with health care reform legislation and the lingering legacy of ObamaCare, senators would be well-advised to pay attention to the bold health care initiatives that Ohio’s General Assembly just passed.

“After Ohio Governor John Kasich unilaterally expanded Ohio’s Medicaid program in 2013, the state’s Medicaid rolls have since ballooned by more than 700,000 people — 40 percent more than originally projected. The pac-man of virtually every state’s budget continues to devour ever-larger chunks of the state’s resources and has pushed Ohio’s own budget to the brink. 

“Like many other states across the country, Ohio lawmakers have had enough. Emboldened by the Trump Administration’s professed willingness to extend states flexibility on health care and rejoin them at the bargaining table, Ohio will soon be sending Washington Medicaid and state innovation waiver requests designed to curb Medicaid expansion and cut cost overruns.

“Ohio’s trial balloon will be watched carefully as other states consider their own waivers to help rein-in runaway Medicaid costs and protect their insurance markets. 

“The state’s General Assembly has just insisted that Governor Kasich submit two significant waiver requests to Trump’s Administration by early next year. The waivers will reduce Ohio’s Medicaid costs and create a more-seamless transition for people moving from Medicaid into affordable private coverage — something vitally important given the current death spiral of Obamacare exchanges.”

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