23 thousand newly eligible low-income Ohioans enrolled in Medicaid last month, as part of an expansion of the program promoted by Governor John Kasich. Lewis Wallace of member station WYSO in Yellow Springs reports.
At the Montgomery County Job Center’s health care room, the people coming in are a mix—
Some have been on and off Medicaid, and some are signing up for subsidized care for the first time.
Steve and Tina Thompson are in that first group.
ST: We’re trying to get something straightened out that was lost in the shuffle.
TT: We had Medicaid and they cancelled it.
The Thompsons aren’t clear what happened—in any case, now they’re back to re-enroll.
But not without some trouble…
TT: I went to get my medicine the other day and it was almost 500 dollars, couldn’t get it. And then I’m due for surgery in two months, can’t get it, until I get my insurance.
The experience of going on Medicaid insurance, and off, and on again is so common, experts have a name for it: “churning.”
It usually happens because of eligibility changes...a change in income or family status, or a new job, for example.
But it means total Medicaid enrollment numbers constantly go up and down—
And the numbers of newly eligible people who’ve signed up are actually pretty low compared to that total number of Ohioans on Medicaid—2.4 million, or one in five.
People without health insurance can check their eligibility on benefits dot ohio dot gov.