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Ohio House Will Save Program Helping Sick Children

Ohio Public Radio

Republican Ohio House leaders are rejecting the governor's budget proposal to change a program that helps pay medical bills for the sick children of 40 thousand families. Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles reports.

Boomer Esiason has a child with cystic fibrosis. But the former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback doesn't get help from the Bureau of Children with Medical Handicaps. But he joined families in that program at the Statehouse to say treatment for serious illnesses can cause serious financial stress.

"My son basically has a disease that basically costs an excess of $300,000 a year and while I do have very good insurance back home in New York to be able to cover that and I do have very good job security to fill in the doughnut holes, not every family in America is like ours."

Families fear moving the program into Medicaid would reduce or eliminate some coverage, but Republican lawmakers are saying they don't support that move.
 
 

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