City of Cincinnati approves pilot health care program

The City of Cincinnati unveiled a pilot program to provide health care to 2,000 uninsured city residents last week (Source: “Health-care plan approved,” Cincinnati Enquirer, Oct. 16, 2008).

The initial two-year test of CincyCare will use a $600,000 federal block grant, combined with private in-kind donations and Health Department discounts, to provide basic medical and prescription benefits for residents in the city who work but are not eligible for employer-sponsored benefits. The only cost for enrollees will be $10 co-payments.

In an editorial Monday, the Cincinnati Enquirer applauded the Cincinnati City Council for approving the plan, which is set to start in March (Source: “Fresh, creative health-care effort,” Cincinnati Enquirer, Oct. 20, 2008). “Rather than waiting for a federal health coverage solution - or an entirely governmental one - CincyCare gets the ball rolling here in a collaborative manner,” the paper wrote.