Legislative

Legislative Update by Representative Peggy Lehner

I, along with others, have been writing for months about Ohio’s deepening financial crisis. I wish I could report that if the national economic crisis eases that Ohio’s financial crisis could turn out to be a short term problem, but unfortunately that is not the case. In order to put Ohio back on a true road to recovery the General Assembly is going to have to come together in a bi-partisan way to reevaluate our priorities, examine how we do business and seek out creative new approaches to systems that perhaps served us well in the past but are no longer cost effective.

Many people seem to believe this can be done by simply shrinking the size of government but even the most aggressive proposals to do that will not come close to filling the budget gaps. Others may propose raising taxes, expanding gambling or a variety of other revenue producing measures. Bottom line however is that those states that prosper have the lowest tax rates and no state has realized sustainable growth via slot machines.

It is my belief that the only route to a sustainable state government is to aggressively prioritize those services that we consider most important and then figure out the most cost effective way to provide those services. Government cannot be all things for all people but those services that are essential must be delivered as cost effectively as possible this is certainly not how the state operates at this point.

For example, the state spends approximately 23% of its budget on Medicaid-almost $13 billion each year. 70% of those dollars are spent on seniors and the disabled although these populations represent only represent 22% of the Medicaid caseload. A substantial portion of that 70% -nearly $4 billion-is spent on long term health care. The average cost of nursing home care for one year is $65,000. The average cost of providing home health care for one year is approximately $20,000 and is the appropriate and preferred option for a significant number of seniors. Yet Ohio continues to rank near the bottom of the states in its nursing home vs. home health care ratio. Because of budget cuts this past summer to the Medicaid Home health care program (PASSPORT) we have a growing waiting list of seniors seeking home care while we continue to unnecessarily spend billions on nursing home care. If we could just match the average national ratio we could save $1 billion per year or $2 billion per budget cycle. If we managed to rank the best in the country (Oregon) we save up to $4 billion per budget cycle….no small savings (Note: As a comparison, Republican proposals to dramatically reduce the size of state government are projected to just save $2 billion per budget cycle).

This month I will be introducing legislation that expands Ohio’s Home First program. Ohio currently limits the number of home heath slot it provides through Medicaid. However by federal law it cannot limit the number of nursing home slots so the only option for many seniors is to enter a nursing home. Home First is a program that is designed to move a nursing home patient into home health care.-unfortunately at the moment they have to actually be in a nursing home first in order to qualify. The bill I am sponsoring with considerable bi-partisan support will allow a senior who has been determined to need immediate nursing home level of care to bypass the requirement that they must first enter a nursing home and immediately qualify for home health care….regardless of where they are on the PASSPORT waiting list. If you are scratching your head trying to figure out how our current system makes any sense you are not alone but it is a perfect example of how considerable savings can be realized by just rethinking how we are provide services. This is only a first step in changing our nursing home/home health care ratio but it is an important first step.

Ohio can return to prosperity and we can do it in a way that maintains a high quality of life for our citizens. However we must be willing to challenge old ways of doing things and be willing to try new and innovative ideas. We must be willing to borrow great ideas from others and quit worrying about whether the Republicans or the Democrats get credit.

If you have an idea that you think can help turn around Ohio please share it… I would love to hear from you. My Columbus office phone number is (614) 644-6008. Click here to send me an e-mail.

Legislative

Legislative Update by Senator Jon Husted

For the past several weeks I have been reviewing the finer details of Governor Strickland’s proposed two-year budget blueprint. Among the hotly contested aspects of the proposal are: fee increases totaling more than $1.5 billion on almost all Ohioans; a new K-12 education plan; and the use of $7 billion of borrowed and one-time money (creating a revenue hole equal to 15 percent of the overall budget).

As a member of the Senate Education Committee, I listened to the many Ohioans who testified in opposition to the Strickland education spending plan. The Governor’s “evidence based plan” is unfunded, unsustainable and serves as a false promise to Ohio schools. Further, it would effectively close all charter schools within two years – 88,000 students’ school choice options would be eliminated. Even Democrats in the legislature acknowledge that the Governor’s education plan does not provide the required funding for its ten year rollout.

The Republican controlled Senate recently countered with a balanced budget that removes all 139 earmarks and cuts more than $650 million in spending on state government. A balanced budget that does not raise taxes – this is the Republican way.

On another note, as I prepare to become Ohio’s next Secretary of State, I have also introduced legislation to change Ohio’s redistricting process – the way Ohio draws its legislative district boundaries. Currently, the party that controls two of three statewide elected offices – Governor, Secretary of State or Auditor – draws district boundaries that are in place for the next decade. I am seeking to replace the winner take all system with a bi-partisan commission to draw legislative and congressional district lines. We must discontinue the system that allows politicians to pick the voters rather than allowing the voters to pick their public officials.

These issues and the mounting job losses Ohioans are experiencing have me working overtime to find solutions. Please contact me at 614-466-4538 or via e-mail at SD06@senate.state.oh.us if I can be of assistance. For more information on my campaign, please visit www.hustedforohio.com.

Sincerely,

Jon Husted
Senator
6th District