Rep. Liston raises concerns over JMOC growth rate percentages

COLUMBUS — State Rep. Beth Liston (D-Dublin) yesterday voted against the proposed growth rate in the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee. The committee voted to set the growth rate at 3.3% for FY24 and 3.4% for FY25 with Rep. Liston as the only no vote.

“Ohio health outcomes have been worsening over time and anything that decreases services to medical populations is concerning. Setting the rate lower than medical inflation effectively means cutting Medicaid. People need more access to healthcare, not less,” said Rep. Liston.

The committee heard a presentation from Optumas, JMOC’s Actuary, on Medicaid’s medical inflation rate for FY2024 and FY2025. Optimus projected the Midwest medical inflation rate to be 4.3% from SFY23 to SFY24 and 3.3% from SFY24 to SFY25, averaging at 3.8% for the biennium.

You can watch a recording of the committee hearing here.