| How many people in the county are on Medicaid? How many of our neighbors will be affected by federal cuts? – Dan

According to a recent study conducted by the Health Policy Institute of Ohio, approximately 37,733 individuals in Licking County are enrolled in Medicaid, accounting for 20.9% of the county’s population. 

Medicaid is the public health insurance program that provides free and low-cost health-care coverage to eligible low-income individuals and families. Medicaid is jointly funded by the federal and state governments, but its administration is at the discretion of state policy. 

Ohio’s expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act covers more low-income individuals who would not have been enrolled without the expansion. Specifically, 8,591 people are covered by Medicaid expansion under the ACA in Licking County. 

Eligibility for Medicaid is determined by many factors, including: 

  • Income level (in relation to the federal poverty level)
  • Household size
  • Age
  • Disability status
  • Pregnancy
  • Caretaker status (ex. Parents of minor children)  

Medicaid usually covers: 

  • Doctors visits
  • Hospitalization
  • Prescription drugs
  • Preventative care
  • Mental health services
  • Long-term care services (e.g., Nursing homes)
  • Prenatal and maternity care
  • Pediatric care

People can apply for Medicaid at HealthCare.gov. 

Founded in 2003, the Health Policy Institute is a nonpartisan lobbying group dedicated to informing decisions on health policy to lead to effective health-care spending in Ohio.  

“We have seen improvements in people’s ability to get access to care, and we’ve seen improvements in the ability of people to access care without cost being a barrier as well, and reductions in medical debt over those years,” said Amy Rohling McGee, President of the Health Policy Institute of Ohio. “In Ohio, according to our health value dashboard, we’re in the top of all states on metrics related to access, and that’s in large part due to policy change that took place here in our state.”

McGee said that roughly 764,000 Ohioans are covered under Medicaid, in part because the federal government fronts 90% of the cost while the state covers the final 10%. However, ongoing reconsiderations of Medicaid at the state and federal level could put Ohioans at risk of losing coverage. 

“There’s a provision in the state budget that’s going through the final stages of consideration right now by our state legislature that would eliminate Medicaid expansion for those 764,000 people. … The conversations are ongoing around the federal budget reconciliation bill. At this point, they have said that they’re not planning on reducing the federal match rate. But you know, it certainly is a tenuous situation, where if at any point the federal government did decide to reduce their contribution, then hundreds of thousands of Ohioans would no longer have coverage,” said McGee.   

Some lobbyists have pushed to change the language in Ohio’s Medicaid law from a “shall” to a “may” provide coverage, meaning the state legislature could consider eliminating coverage if the federal match rate went down. 

Currently, the budget bill, Ohio House Bill 96, is being negotiated by a conference committee of the House and Senate to meet a June 30 deadline. Both chambers must pass the final bill before sending the bill to Gov. Mike DeWine for review and approval. DeWine has the authority to veto line items he chooses to reject.

“Reducing access to Medicaid expansion or eliminating it altogether can impact all of us,” McGee said. “The economic activity that is generated because of Medicaid expansion currently improves our tax collections and provides jobs for people, not just in health care, but in other types of employers, too. 

“So think about the kinds of businesses, like restaurants and those kinds of places that are right around the hospital or a large medical provider. … When there’s a high degree of employment within a company or a setting like a hospital, those folks are going out and they’re spending their money in the surrounding community, and that’s generating tax revenue; so there would likely be impacts on the local community as well,” McGee said. 

Currently, no Licking County residents, or Ohio residents, are losing access to Medicaid, but the 37,733 individuals in Licking County who are enrolled in Medicaid should be aware of the possibilities of changes. 

Thanks for asking away!

Tyler Thompson writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.