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DeWine mask order won’t apply to lawmakers, judges, staffs
A spokesman for Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday said that even though the governor ordered people to wear masks inside Franklin County’s public spaces, that order won’t be enforced against some of the state’s most public people inside the state’s most public building. DeWine Press Secretary Dan Tierney said the order won’t be enforced against […]
DeWine issues mask orders as Ohio coronavirus cases surge
Gov. Mike Dewine on Tuesday ordered people to wear masks in the hardest-hit Ohio counties as cases of coronavirus surged across the state. The order mirrors a statewide order issued by DeWine on April 27, only to pull it back a day later. The 948 new COVID-19 cases reported between Monday and Tuesday was an […]
In a pandemic, efforts to kill the Affordable Care Act might be getting dicier
The Trump administration last month joined 18 states in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate the Affordable Care Act, arguing, “the entire ACA must fall.” The move comes as more than a million Ohioans are estimated to have lost health coverage because of coronavirus-related job losses. It also comes as the disease is expected […]
With coronavirus spiking, DeWine praises mask mandate but won’t announce his own
An alarming uptick in Ohio coronavirus numbers continued into the Independence Day weekend. But while Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday praised orders in hard-hit Ohio cities to require masks in public places, he wouldn’t impose one statewide — at least not yet. Due to technical problems, new 24-hour data on the spread of coronavirus were […]
Ohio Medicaid begins laying out plans for coronavirus testing at pharmacies
Ohio Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran on Tuesday described plans for Ohio pharmacies to begin testing one of the state’s most vulnerable populations — the poor — for the novel coronavirus. The plans come as data about the virus from Ohio and elsewhere show a worrying trend. In Ohio, the number of new cases has for […]
Despite promises, Medicaid still not paying pharmacists to test for coronavirus
As cases of coronavirus spiked alarmingly at the end of last week, a promised program by the Ohio Department of Medicaid to allow pharmacies to test patients was mired in confusion. On Friday, 987 new cases of the virus were reported in the Buckeye State, a 90% increase over the 21-day average. There was an […]
Fellow Republicans put DeWine in a bind on coronavirus
With coronavirus cases spiking in Ohio and across the country, Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday found himself in the awkward position of urging Ohioans to wear masks while refusing to comment on his fellow Republicans’ refusal to do so. The governor opened his press conference with the grim news that there were 892 new coronavirus […]
State hasn’t acted, but Medicaid care companies move to pay pharmacists for medical services
The Ohio Department of Medicaid has been slow to implement a law that would enable pharmacists to be paid to consult with patients and help them manage chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. So increasingly, the managed-care companies that handle the vast majority of the state’s Medicaid clientele are paying out of […]
Despite big predictions, not much state legal action against drug middlemen
There was a lot of talk by state officials about reigning in prescription middlemen working for the state. But on the legal front, there hasn’t been a lot of action. In February, 2019, as Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced his office would move against one company accused of bilking the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, […]
Medicaid director backpedals on possibility of cutting drug coverage, expansion population
The director of the Ohio Department of Medicaid, it appears, is at least partially backtracking after telling a state panel that ending Ohio’s expanded eligibility for the program and eliminating prescription drug coverage are possible options to fill a looming state budget gap. On Monday, Director Maureen Corcoran made a presentation to the Ohio Prescription […]
Amid furor over senator’s comments, colleagues try to get hearings on racism back on track
Comments last week by Ohio Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, are probably the one thing Americans are most likely to know about the Ohio Senate right now. But while Huffman’s comments were, to put it charitably, racially insensitive, other members of the Health, Human Services and Medicaid Committee worry that the national media response to […]
After months of questions, Ohio Medicaid to start paying pharmacists for coronavirus testing
After months of questions and promises of transparency, officials with the Ohio Department of Medicaid on Monday told an obscure state committee when they’ll start reimbursing community pharmacies to test one of the state’s most vulnerable populations for coronavirus. To contend with shrinking state budgets, the department also floated the possibility of draconian cuts, including […]