Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Lawmaker Unhappy With DeWine's Vetoes On Medicaid, Health Care

Karen Kasler
Rep. Jim Butler (R-Oakwood) speaks to reporters at a press conference in 2017.

Nearly half of the 25 vetoes that Governor Mike DeWine issued when he signed the two-year state budget deal with health care and Medicaid, which is the state’s largest program. Ohio Public Radio's Karen Kasler reports.

A member of the conference committee that worked on the compromise budget deal isn’t happy with those rejections.

Ever since former Governor John Kasich pushed through Medicaid expansion in 2013, lawmakers have pushed back on Medicaid policy in the budget.

DeWine expressed concerns about cost, complexity and access to care and information in the Medicaid proposals he vetoed.  

Rep. Jim Butler (R-Oakwood) worked on most of those, and said he’s disappointed.

“The DeWine administration is new but so far it’s not promising that I think there isn’t a better partnership as indicated by many of the vetoes.”

DeWine vetoed some language in the proposal for the state to set up its own pharmacy benefits manager, replacing the two companies that now serve as middlemen between Medicaid and pharmacies. Among other vetoes, DeWine rejected changes to Medicaid rates in state law and next year's July 1 deadline for new contracts with managed care organizations. He vetoed a plan to get permission from the federal government to establish shared services programs. He also struck proposals to would automatically designate a nursing home or assisted living facility as a person's authorized Medicaid representative, and to set up additional incentives on rates for nursing facilities.

On health care, Butler is upset about DeWine’s veto of health care price transparency, in a requirement for hospitals to provide price information in advance.  But DeWine said state efforts to deal with so-called “surprise billing” could duplicate federal ones.  

The Statehouse News Bureau was founded in 1980 to provide educational, comprehensive coverage of legislation, elections, issues and other activities surrounding the Statehouse to Ohio's public radio and television stations. To this day, the Bureau remains the only broadcast outlet dedicated to in-depth coverage of state government news and topics of statewide interest. The Bureau is funded througheTech Ohio, and is managed by ideastream. The reporters at the Bureau follow the concerns of the citizens and voters of Ohio, as well as the actions of the Governor, the Ohio General Assembly, the Ohio Supreme Court, and other elected officials. We strive to cover statehouse news, government issues, Ohio politics, and concerns of business, culture and the arts with balance and fairness, and work to present diverse voices and points of view from the Statehouse and throughout Ohio. The three award-winning journalists at the bureau have more than 60 combined years of radio and television experience. They can be heard on National Public Radio and are regular contributors to Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Marketplace. Every weekday, the Statehouse News Bureau produces in-depth news reports forOhio's public radio stations. Those stories are also available on this website, either on the front page or in our archives. Weekly, the Statehouse News Bureau produces a television show from our studios in the Statehouse. The State of Ohio is an unique blend of news, interviews, talk and analysis, and is broadcast on Ohio's public television stations. The Statehouse News Bureau also produces special programming throughout the year, including the Governor's annual State of the State address to the Ohio General Assembly and a five-part year-end review.
Related Content