A Republican-backed bill that began the week banning Medicaid payments to family caregivers in Ohio ended up without that provision and with overwhelming approval, even from some Democratic lawmakers. Republicans had wanted to crack down on fraud in Medicaid, and passed changes to the program by rolling them into another measure targeting fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or food stamps.
Rep. Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) said increased penalties for fraud, electronic video verification, inspections and more from House Bill 795 were added into Senate Bill 315, which requires electronic chips in food stamp cards.
“By trimming the bill down to the things that we agreed on the most, we have a pretty tight product," Stewart said.
A ban on Medicaid payments to family caregivers brought outrage among disabled Ohioans and their advocates, some of whom testified at a House Medicaid Committee hearing last week. The committee announced on Monday that provision would be removed from the bill.
Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Westlake) said family caregivers aren't hurt in this final bill, but she admits there are some things she doesn’t like in it.
“Do I think they all need to be there? Absolutely not,” Sweeney said. “But I do not believe that, as this bill stands today, that it will limit care to those who rightfully deserve it.”
Rep. Mike Dovilla (R-Berea), who unveiled the paid family caregiver ban that proved controversial, said something needed to be done to deal with fraud in Medicaid.
“Medicaid is not a small program. It represents about half of the state budget, making its integrity critical, not only for the vulnerable Ohioans who rely on it but for the taxpayers who fund it,” Dovilla said. “Safeguarding these funds is not optional. It is our responsibility.”
The urgency to make changes to combat fraud has been fueled by a report from a conservative outlet that said Ohio's Medicaid program has been ripped off by hundreds of millions of dollars. An investigation is underway to find and deal with potential fraud cases. But at this point, there is no proof of massive fraud in the program and the state hasn’t fully confirmed the report.
Regardless of the extent of fraud in the program, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle think some things can be done to improve the program or make it more efficient. Sweeney said she has learned a lot about the program from listening to families who rely on Medicaid.
“Going through this process, I can say I was generally bewildered by some of the shortcomings and gaps within Medicaid,” Sweeney said.
Stewart agreed the testimony from families has been instructive.
“The way things have gone over the last week, more people are aware of what Medicaid is operating like in the real world,” Stewart said. “I think people have a better understanding ofthe things that parents, caregivers and recipients are dealing with and it is going to make the program better overall and it’s helped us do a better job to catch fraud and make sure we have better controls.”
The SNAP/Medicaid bill passed the Senate unanimously and passed easily in the House.
But Stewart said lawmakers are not done with the Medicaid issue: “Everything that we are doing with Medicaid is up for discussion come the next budget time.”
