River Valley Health Partners Issues Letter in Support of Ohio Continuing Extended Medicaid
(PRWEB) January 29, 2015 -- In January of 2014 Ohio made the wise decision to extend Medicaid health insurance coverage to some of Ohio's most vulnerable citizens. For the sake of those individuals and our state, Ohio needs to continue extended Medicaid.
In 2014 governor John Kasich defied his party and asked the Controlling Board of Ohio to accept the extended Medicaid funds from the federal government. In doing so he effectively made Medicaid expansion happen. But, Medicaid spending must be reauthorized by state lawmakers as part the of the state’s two-year budget cycle, which ends in June. That gives the legislature the power to rollback the expansion. River Valley Health Partners President and CEO, Ken Cochran, issued the attached letter in support of extending Medicaid funding.
"There are many good things that extended Medicaid is doing for Ohio, but I want to focus on what it does for healthcare access in our community. Operating in a small Appalachian community, our hospital takes great pride in being able to serve the poor and afflicted. Extended Medicaid has allowed us to serve more individuals, diagnose diseases sooner, and begin building the foundation of a healthier community," said Ken Cochran, President & CEO of River Valley Health Partners.
Increased access to primary and preventative care helps in many cases by allowing our healthcare providers to see patients earlier and more frequently. Increased access helps patients identify health issues sooner and avoid more costly procedures and treatments later. Access to quality healthcare, as a result of Medicaid extension, works to help transform how individuals use our healthcare system.
While there may be much left to do to improve the Ohio healthcare system, extended Medicaid was and is a significant step in the right direction.
Brian Allen, River Valley Health Partners, http://www.elch.org, +1 3303862991, [email protected]
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