Rep. Liston Calls for Action to Address the Tens of Thousands of Children Who Have Lost Medicaid Insurance in Ohio
COLUMBUS - State Representative Beth Liston (D-Dublin) today sent a letter requesting Governor Mike DeWine take action to address the 69,000 children who are no longer covered by Medicaid in Ohio.
“Close to half the kids in Ohio get health coverage through Ohio Medicaid – they rely on this program for well checks, vaccines, sports physicals – and for some lifesaving medicines and medical care. Unfortunately, 69,000 kids have been disenrolled from this program since April,” said Rep. Liston. “This means tens of thousands of parents across the state are going to go to a pediatrician’s appointment or the pharmacy to pick up a medication and they are learning their child no longer has health insurance. This is not okay. We must make sure our children have access to the health care they need.”
Yesterday, the Ohio Department of Medicaid reported to the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee that more than three quarters of the disenrollments for those under 18 were procedural and not due to ineligibility.
The letter asks to alert those who are no longer covered by Medicaid immediately, provide information on how to re-enroll, and expand on best practices for families to plan their healthcare access. It urges Medicaid to provide updates on disenrollment rates, reasons for disenrollment and steps agencies are taking to ensure affected children have access to healthcare coverage.
For more information on how to receive Medicaid coverage, please visit: https://getcoveredohio.org/