Medicaid is a state and federally funded health care program for disabled and low-income Americans. In Ohio, it costs $28 billion and covers more than 3 million people. Under the Affordable Care Act, it was expanded to cover more low-income people, with the feds picking up 95 percent of the tab.
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The Medicaid provisions were among six pages of changes introduced in a single omnibus amendment rolled out Monday afternoon. The House is scheduled to vote on the 4,500-page spending bill on Tuesday. The bill details how the state will spend more than $133 billion over two years in state and federal money. But it’s not all about dollars and cents — the bill is loaded with policy changes dealing with topics such as prison farmland sales, opiate addiction, gambling and lottery games, and more.
Related: Ohio House wants more money for opiate fight, ditches Kasich tax plan
Among the changes are the following:
- Letting notaries set their own fees;
- Extending the appointment of the state inspector general to January 2021;
- Adding $100 million in funding for nursing homes over the two-year budget;
- Allowing Ohio State University to enter a utility agreement for its energy systems on main campus; Related: Ohio State ready to sign $1-billion energy deal
- Requiring the state prison system to competitive bidding when selling land;
- Authorizing Warren County to earmark a 1-percent lodging tax for construction and maintenance of a new sports complex;
- Striking the requirement that the Clark County Municipal Court clerk post be eliminated;
- Cutting $1 million from Ohio Association of Second Harvest Food Banks;
- Allowing the University of Akron to sell off a dorm; and
- Requiring consulting services be subject to competitive bidding and Controlling Board approval.
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