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Welcome to Ohio Advocates for Health Care Access.

OAHCA is a consortium of organizations from across Ohio working together to protect access to quality health care for all Ohioans.

OAHCA partners include voluntary health associations, physician organizations, the bio-technology industry and community groups. Most of the partners provide services directly to patients and their families. They offer services and advocate for patients with illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, pulmonary disease, heart disease, mental illness, liver and kidney disease, vision impairment, AIDS, epilepsy and many others.

As a statewide network, OAHCA focuses on information and education relating to health care access issues. Meetings and forums are held regularly and focus on various access issues including Medicaid trends, medical liability and affordable prescription drugs.

A list of OAHCA partners appears to the right and in the “Who We Are” section. Internet links to most of the partners are available.

Please visit the “Educational Forums” section of this Web site for notes and information on topics of interest to OAHCA partners.

Do you or someone you know need help affording their prescription drugs? Did you know that there are programs that can help?

Click here to learn more about prescription assistance programs in Ohio and if they can be helpful to you.

Important OAHCA News

DNC and RNC Party Platforms Both Address Chronic Diseases

The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease recently commended both the DNC and RNC for making chronic disease prevention and management a central tenet of the health care reform proposals outlined in their party platforms (read the news releases here).

"It's encouraging to see that both the Republic and Democratic Parties are recognizing the magnitude of this problem, and its links to other health care concerns," said PFCD Executive Director Dr. Ken Thorpe, who noted that the PFCD has been reaching out to leaders of both parties to ensure that this issue is a focal point in discussions of health care reform.

PFCD members were instrumental in this success by attending the DNC’s “Listening to America” platform events and submitting information to the DNC and RNC platform web sites. We sincerely thank all of you who attended an event or provided testimony around the party platforms. This success would not have been possible with the groundswell of support provided by the state partners.

The RNC platform notes that chronic diseases "are driving health care costs, consuming three of every four health care dollars.” The platform adds: "We can reduce demand for medical care by fostering personal responsibility within a culture of wellness, while increasing access to preventive services."

The DNC platform calls for an “Emphasis on Prevention and Wellness” and goes on to say “All Americans should be empowered to promote wellness and have access to preventive services to impede the development of costly chronic conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension.”

Please find both party platforms, in their entirety, attached.

Thanks go out to our Ohio partners once again who took part in our platform hearings and play a pivotal role in getting chronic disease prevention and management included on both party platforms.

Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease Presents The Missing Link in Health Care Reform

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America	NetWellness
Family & Community Services	Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Cincinnati
National Alliance on Mental Ilness, Ohio	Ohio State Medical Association
The Ohio Psychological Association	The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians
Epilepsy Foundation of Central Ohio	Mental Health Association of Franklin County
The Center for Health Affairs	Ohio Sickle Cell Disease & Health Association
Columbus Aids Task Force	Central Ohio Breathing Association
Prevent Blindness Ohio	Epilepsy Foundation of Northeast Ohio
National Kidney Foundation, Ohio	Arthritis Foundation - Central Ohio Chapter
American Diabetes Association	BioOhio
Ohio Council of Behavioral Healthcare Providers	Ohio Dental Association
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society - Cincinnati and Cleveland	American Liver Foundation
American Lung Association	Lupus Foundation of America - Northwest Ohio Chapter
Epilepsy Center - Toledo	Neighborhood Health Associations - Toledo
CareNet	United Cerebral Palsy of Central Ohio
American Heart Association - Ohio Valley Affiliate	Ohio AIDS Coalition
Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio	Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Ohio Health Advocacy Network	Ohio Osteopathic Association
Ohio Association of Free Clinics	Ohio Hematology-Oncology Society
Northern Ohio Breast Cancer Coalition Fund	Northern Ohio Hemophilia Foundation
Community Health of Akron	Ohio Psychiatric Association
National Multiple Sclerosis Society	Ohio School Based Health Care Association
Ohio Bleeding Disorders Council	Ohio Association of Community Health Centers
Alzheimer’s Association of Central Ohio

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