Ohio Senate considers co-pays, premiums for Medicaid expansion group

A new bill in the Ohio Senate would require enrollees in Medicaid expansion to pay premiums and make copayments on some medical services (Source: “Ohio Medicaid expansion patients would face co-pays, premiums under new bill,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, Feb. 28, 2019).

Senate Bill 60, which would start a program called the Medicaid Personal Responsibility Initiative, doesn’t have specific dollar amounts for co-pays and premiums.

However, sponsor Sen. David Burke, a Union County Republican, said that co-pays would be “nominal,” such as $5.

Copayments would be required under the bill when patients see specialists -- unless they received a general practitioners referral first -- and if they visit an emergency room.

Patients with Medicaid are currently required to pay co-pays, such as $3 each time they visit the dentist, however there are exceptions, and most recipients do not pay anything.