Ohio House drops Medicaid expansion from budget

Ohio House drops Medicaid expansion from budget

Politicos, hospitals voice very different opinions on Tuesday

by Z. Daniel Barnett - Published: April 10, 2013

A decision by Republican House leaders to omit Gov. John Kasich's Medicaid expansion plan is garnering mixed reactions from around the Buckeye State.

On Tuesday, Portage County's Tom Zawistowski - a Tea Party leader and candidate for chairman of the Ohio Republican Party - wrote a letter to Speaker Bill Batchelder and other House leaders to thank them for their decision. Zawistowski cited 14 reasons not to vote for the Medicaid expansion, paramount of which was the threat it posed to the GOP itself. Zawistowski wrote that including Kasich's plan in the budget "could be devastating to [the GOP's] chances as a party in the 2014 elections."

On the other hand, many hospital officials across Ohio lamented the decision to remove the expansion of Medicaid from the state budget proposal. Mike Abrams, President of the Ohio Hospitals Association, said his organization and others will work to ensure the state doesn’t miss the chance to provide health coverage to an estimated 275,000 Ohioans.

Rejecting the expansion means the state would forgo $13 billion from the federal government over the next seven years to cover those newly eligible for Medicaid.

Kasich framed his support for expanding Medicaid as a way to recapture Ohio taxpayers' federal money and help the state's most vulnerable get health care. House Speaker William Batchelder said there was a lack of clarity from Washington around the regulations under the law.

Unemployment steady in first two months of 2013

Unemployment steady in first two months of 2013
Ohio reports 7.0% joblessness in February, unchanged from January
by Z. Daniel Barnett - Published: March 22, 2013

After a slight jump in January, the Buckeye State's jobless rate remained steady in February.
According to Friday morning's release from the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, the unemployment rate was 7.0 percent in February, unchanged from January. An additional 2,000 Ohioans said that they were looking for work last month, but the slight increase (from 399,000 in January to 401,000 last month) was not enough to move the jobless rate. The unemployment rate has decreased by 30,000 in the past 12 months. In February 2012, the statewide jobless rate was 7.5 percent.
The state's leaders have said Ohio's economy and its job market are getting stronger, though the process is slow. January marked the first time Ohio's monthly unemployment rate failed to decline or at least remain steady since July 2011.
 The U.S. unemployment rate for February was 7.7 percent, down from 7.9 percent in January, and down from 8.3 percent in February 2012.

Unemployment continues to drop in Buckeye State

Unemployment continues to drop in Buckeye State
Ohio's jobless rate inches downward for fourth consecutive month
by Z. Daniel Barnett - Published: January 18, 2013

The unemployment rate continues to inch downward in the Buckeye State.
According to Friday morning's press release from the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, statewide unemployment was 6.7 percent in December 2012, down from 6.8 percent in November. It marks a fourth month of decreased unemployment, and is Ohio's lowest jobless rate since mid-2008.
ODJFS reports that 388,000 workers were registered as unemployed last month, a drop of around 3,000 from November 2012. That figure has decreased by 70,000 in the past 12 months, when unemployment was 7.9 percent.
The state has said Ohio's economy and its job market are getting stronger, though the process is slow. Ohio's unemployment rate has remained below the U.S. rate, which was 7.8 percent in December, unchanged from November.
For a closer look at statewide unemployment, visit the ODJFS' Office of Communications website: http://jfs.ohio.gov/ocomm/index.stm