Rep. Sears: Improve Medicaid, Save Tax Dollars

Release:

Columbus—State Representative Barbara Sears (R-Sylvania) [yesterday] offered sponsor testimony on House Bill 240, legislation that would fix inefficiencies in Ohio’s Medicaid system.

“I am thrilled about the opportunity to offer testimony in the House Health committee today,” Sears said. “If this opportunity had afforded itself earlier in the 128th General Assembly the Legislature would have been able to examine the proposal more closely possibly putting some of the reforms in place to serve the Ohio taxpayers and improve healthcare.”
House Bill 240 is a vital component of “The Future of Ohio” Government Reform package, a collection of 10 bills that was unveiled by House Republicans in November. These bills aim to improve government efficiency, create jobs and make Ohio nationally competitive. House Bill 240, which was introduced in June as both a stand-alone bill and a cost-saving amendment to the budget, would identify and repair inefficiencies while implementing vital cost-containment measures.
“House Bill 240 is a responsible, sustainable solution to fill the budget deficit, and I am pleased that House Democrats are finally giving this proposal the hearing it deserves,” Sears said. “We need to work together to restore Ohio to fiscal discipline, and trimming wasteful spending and government squandering is a vital first step.”
Currently, Ohio’s Medicaid program is the state’s largest expenditure at 40 percent above the national average. In 2006, the Ohio auditor of state conducted a performance audit of all state Medicaid spending and since made numerous recommendations to improve the system’s efficiency and effectiveness.
“This legislation provides the opportunity to save Ohio’s taxpayers $122 million annually in Medicaid savings that could have been used to support necessary programs that were cut in this budget,” Sears finished.