GOP bill would reform Ohio insurance rules

The Ohio House is expected to vote this month on Republican-sponsored legislation that would reduce the time Ohio allows some young adults to stay on their parents’ health insurance, eliminate “mini-COBRA” insurance for some who lose their jobs and raise the trigger-point for when small companies must offer health benefits (Source: “Some skeptical of Ohio GOP’s health-insurance bill,” Columbus Dispatch, April 28, 2014).

“I get that if you read this holistically you go, ‘You’re taking away coverage,’  ” said Rep. Barbara Sears, R-Sylvania, the bill sponsor. “But when you really apply it to how it actually works, we’re actually giving people more options because we’re freeing up the potential for getting on the exchange.”

House Bill 511 seeks to align Ohio law with the Affordable Care Act, which allows dependents to remain on parents’ health insurance to age 26. Current Ohio law, which generally affects smaller and mid-sized companies, sets the age limit at age 28.

The bill also would align Ohio law with the Affordable Care Act requirement that employers with at least 100 workers offer health insurance to those who work at least 30 hours a week. Ohio law sets it at 25 hours for businesses employing two to 50 workers. Furthermore, the bill also eliminates what’s known as Ohio’s “mini-COBRA” requirement that businesses with 20 or fewer employees offer terminated workers continued coverage at 100 percent of the employer’s cost.