The state Controlling board has approved the Ohio Medicaid director's request for 264 million dollars in funding needed to qualify for 638 million in federal matching funds for Medicaid. Ohio Public Radio's Andy Chow reports.
Republican Senator Bill Coley was among the yes votes. However he and many Republican lawmakers would still like to end enrollment to Medicaid expansion, which they tried to do in the budget, but Kasich vetoed that.
Coley: “But it’s not happening right now so we’ve got to deal with what’s in front of us and I think what’s in front of us right now is an administration who is communicating a commitment to some waivers to the Medicaid program that’ll make true changes and make true improvement.”
Coley says without those waivers to control costs, he would’ve voted down the appropriation request.
The state needed that money in order to get $630 million in matching funds from the feds.