Updates
on Ohio's Best RX, 2006-2007 Budget Process
November 17, 2004
Meeting
Notes
Announcements:
2005 Meetings & Events: OAHCA partners are encouraged
to provide ideas for speakers and topics for 2005 meetings.
Please email Jenny
or Carol if you have thoughts on topics you would like to see addressed.
We know the 2006-2007 state budget and Medicaid will continue to
be a hot issue, as well as medical liability, prescription drugs,
mental health and others. We welcome your input.
For the first meeting
in 2005, we would like to plan for a function with legislators.
It might be a breakfast event, or afternoon reception
preceded or followed by an advocacy training workshop. We’ll
keep you posted as plans develop for this which would be held in
late January or February.
Directory
project: We
continue work on the development of an OAHCA partner directory.
During the meeting, a cover and inside-page
design were shown. The idea is to create a directory of the partner
organizations, for distribution to legislators and administration
officials. We’re thinking of having the directory finished
for the legislative gathering planned for early in 2005. Teri Kirk
will be coordinating this project and will be in touch with OAHCA
partners who choose to be part of the directory.
Ohio’s
Best RX
Cynthia Burnell
Cindy Burnell is the director for the Ohio Best RX prescription
drug discount program, which is administered by the Ohio Department
of Job and Family Services. Cindy’s Power Point presentation
covered the Best RX implementation progress to date. Tentative
plans are for the program to begin January 11, 2005. Applications
for this program will be distributed and begin to be accepted on
that date.
Once applications forms are ready, OAHCA partners may be helpful
with helping to identify the uninsured population within their
constituencies. Forms and information will be made available to
OAHCA partners if you would like to distribute Best RX information
to the patients you serve.
Please
click here for a fact sheet on Ohio’s Best RX.
More information about the program is on the web site at www.ohiobestrx.org
The 2006-2007 State Budget
Tim Keen, Deputy Director
Ohio Office of Budget & Management
Tim presented an overview of what to expect during the upcoming
budget process. Following are some bullet points from Tim’s
presentation:
- On
February 1, Governor Taft is expected to submit his version
of the budget
to the Ohio General Assembly.
-
The budget crafters must consider the “big ticket” items
such as primary/secondary education, higher education, explosive
growth of Medicaid and other high-priority needs.
- They must consider the one-time revenue sources and the penny sales
tax increase which is designed to end next year.
- They must consider areas where state government spending is growing.
- They must consider that spending on Medicaid and education is growing
greater than the rate of inflation.
- The governor will address Medicaid growth in his proposed budget.
OBM will establish a baseline for Medicaid spending that will contract
when considering the loss of the penny increase.
- Budget planners need to anticipate rising costs of nursing homes
and the nursing home reimbursement formula. Nursing home care is
the largest expenditure within Medicaid and prescription drug costs
are the largest single spending component.
- Budget crafters are looking at issues around managed care and how
companies and hospitals can deliver some savings to the state.
-
The Governor’s “Ohio Access Program” is a workgroup
with county officials to form long-term plans for healthcare access
issues.
-
The Access to Better Care (ABC) workgroup is focusing on children’s
health and behavioral health issues for kids.
- Within the MRDD system the state continues to implement more efficient
practices and moving to Medicaid waiver programs to keep people
living in their own local communities.
- For ODJFS, the use of TANF dollars will be important in the next
budget session. The state continues to manage through a misuse
of TANF funds and must substitute close to $100 million to make
up for misspent TANF funds.
- Economic development and jobs creation also remain a priority.
- Tax reform and reducing the tax burden also are a priority.
- The four big areas of state spending are:
- Primary
/ Secondary education
- Medicaid
- Debt
Service
- Institutional
Agencies growth (prisons, youth facilities)
Jo Ann Davidson
Jo Ann provided an update on the current lame-duck session of the
Ohio General Assembly. She reviewed bills and proposals of interest
to OAHCA members including Medicaid reform, tax reform, tort reform
and medical liability, as well as the mental health parity bill.
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