Bill > HB675

This bill, known as the Healthier Rural Hospitals Act, establishes a temporary program for hospitals in rural Ohio counties to receive enhanced payments from Medicaid managed care organizations, which are private companies that manage healthcare for Medicaid recipients. The program aims to support hospitals in counties with fewer than 100,000 residents by increasing their reimbursement rates. To determine eligibility and the level of enhanced payment, the Department of Medicaid will calculate a score for each eligible county based on its ranking in five categories: age-adjusted cancer death rates, percentage of the population living at or below 150% of the federal poverty level, age-adjusted death rates from chronic lower respiratory disease, age-adjusted death rates from stroke, and average annual age-adjusted unintentional drug overdose death rates. The twenty counties with the lowest combined scores will be eligible for the program, with the top ten ranked counties receiving payments at least 150% of the statewide average Medicaid hospital payment rate, and the next ten ranked counties receiving payments at least 125% of that average. Importantly, managed care organizations cannot reduce payments to hospitals not participating in this program to fund these enhanced payments. This program is set to conclude two years after its effective date.

Budget and Finance

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/136/hb675