HPIO releases latest edition of Ohio Medicaid Basics

The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has released the latest edition of its popular Ohio Medicaid Basics brief.     

Medicaid pays for healthcare services for more than three million Ohioans with low incomes (about 27% of the state’s population), including almost 1.3 million children. Federal and state expenditures on Medicaid accounted for about 38% of Ohio’s budget in state fiscal year 2020. And $1 out of every $6 spent on health care in the U.S. is spent on Medicaid.   

As the payor of healthcare services for more than a quarter of all Ohioans, Medicaid can be leveraged to make large-scale policy changes that impact the health of residents.   

“The Medicaid program plays a critical role in maintaining and improving the health of many Ohioans,” the brief concludes. “As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on the healthcare system and economy in Ohio, policymakers should monitor changing guidance from the federal government and be agile in their response to new challenges facing Medicaid enrollees. State policymakers and other stakeholders must also balance the program’s benefits with budgetary and administrative challenges to improve health and health value in Ohio.”   

Released to coincide with the state biennial budget, Ohio Medicaid Basics provides a foundational summary of the state-federal program. The 2021 edition reviews significant changes made to the Ohio Medicaid program over the past year and answers questions such as: 

• What are the differences between Medicaid and Medicare?
• How is Medicaid financed? 
• Who is eligible for Medicaid coverage? 
• How much does Ohio Medicaid cost and how is it funded?     

Now in its ninth edition, HPIO has created Medicaid Basics every two years since 2005.   

For questions about the brief, or if you would like to talk with the authors of the report, please call or text Nick Wiselogel at 614.530.9918 or email nwiselogel@hpio.net.  

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