Graphic of the Week: Medicaid Group VIII

Data compiled by HPIO shows that more than 770,000 Ohioans (over 6% of the total population) are enrolled in Medicaid through Group VIII (also known as the expansion group). The highest rates of enrollment in this group are found in metropolitan and Appalachian counties, as displayed above.
 
Group VIII coverage includes adults ages 19 to 64 who have incomes less than 138% of the federal poverty level and are not eligible for other categories of Medicaid (click here to see a table of Medicaid enrollment for all 88 Ohio counties).
 
The expansion of Medicaid eligibility has been a major contributor to Ohio’s uninsured rate dropping by half, from 14% in 2010 to 7% in 2022. The state is ranked 16th best in the nation for uninsured rate, according to HPIO’s 2024 Health Value Dashboard.
 
In 2013, when Ohio expanded Medicaid eligibility under the federal Affordable Care Act, the federal government funded 100% of the expansion population. That was reduced gradually from 2016 to 2020 to its current 90%-10% split between the federal and state government.

As the U.S. Congress deliberates plans to reduce federal spending, including proposals to drastically cut funding for Medicaid, Gov. Mike DeWine included in his state budget proposal a provision that if the federal share of Medicaid funding is reduced, the Ohio Department of Medicaid “shall immediately discontinue all medical assistance for members of the [Medicaid expansion] group.”
 
This would drastically reduce access to health care for hundreds of thousands of Ohioans, many of whom are employed. In 2018, Medicaid reported that 94% of Group VIII enrollees were either employed, in school, taking care of family members (such as children or grandchildren), participating in an alcohol and drug treatment program or dealing with intensive physical health and/or a mental health illness.
 
Learn more about Medicaid in Ohio by viewing HPIO’s recently released Ohio Medicaid Basics 2025.