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Lawmakers Mulling Managed Care Shift For Long-Term Services

Statehouse News Bureau

Lawmakers and the Kasich administration have gone back and forth on a budget issue that would change the way people with long term health problems would receive medical care. That provision is still on the table as the Senate works to craft their final draft of the budget bill.

Gov. John Kasich wants Medicaid recipients with long-term health needs to receive managed care through health insurance plans.

Supporters say that would save money in the long run and provide more efficient care for patients. But the House took that provision out in place of more study.

Peter Van Runkle, with the Ohio Health Care Association, the state's nursing home lobby, says managed care hasn’t proven to work for long-term health needs, yet.

“It really does boil down to sort of this extra layer of red tape and approvals and requirements and things when you’re putting a middle man in between Medicaid and your provider.”

About 90% of Medicaid enrollees are already under managed care plans.

Copyright 2017 The Statehouse News Bureau

Andy Chow is a general assignment state government reporter who focuses on environmental, energy, agriculture, and education-related issues. He started his journalism career as an associate producer with ABC 6/FOX 28 in Columbus before becoming a producer with WBNS 10TV.