Opponents of the plan to ask the federal government for permission to charge 1.5 million Medicaid recipients small premiums to stay in the program tried to turn out critics at a public hearing in Cincinnati today. But supporters say the plan will keep costs down and help those recipients be more engaged.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown says he’s concerned about the administrative costs of the plan, and that he feels it’s a GOP effort to shut down Medicaid expansion.
“Every part of this proposal is to restrict, to stop – not to expand and reach out. So every part to me matters. They went into this with the intent of restricting and stopping, not expanding and serving.”
But one of the plan’s chief backers, Republican state Rep. Jim Butler of Oakwood near Dayton says the program is very similar to an Indiana program that was granted a waiver.
“We’ve based this program on data. And it’s proven to work. And I would also ask, well, what’s their solution?”
The public comment period on the waiver ends May 16.
