Reece hosts Cincinnati health care town hall meeting

On June 12, I joined representatives from the Urban
League, AARP Ohio, UC Health, Lincoln Heights Health
Center, Cincinnati Childrens Hospital and Universal
Health Care Action Network (UHCAN) Ohio to host a
community town hall at the Urban
League of Greater Cincinnati to
address concerns regarding the
future of healthcare in Ohio.
Steve Wagner of UHCAN Ohio
kicked off the town hall with a
presentation on the current
conditions of Medicare and
Medicaid in America and Ohio.
The presentation also highlighted
differences between the
Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and the American
Healthcare Act (Trumpcare), showing that a transition
to a new healthcare model would have critical
consequences.
According to recent news reports, so-called Trumpcare leave some of our most vulnerable Ohioans at risk. I
will cause 1 million Ohioans to lose healthcare
coverageincluding 700,000 Medicaid recipients and
over 290,000 private insurance recipients. On the
state level, my fellow lawmakers are considering
budget cuts that would limit access to healthcare for
hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Ohioans.1
I believe the decisions being made
by politicians in Washington and in
Columbus could jeopardize the
ability of Ohio families to access the
quality healthcare they need when
they get sick or injured. I believe it
is critically important for men and
women in our community to
understand how legislation could
affect their future health and well-
being. That is why I wanted to take
the time to meet with my
constituents, discuss pending
legislation and ensure their voices and needs are
heard.
I find it troubling that my Republican colleagues are
even considering essential healthcare cuts that may
pledge to push for little-to-no Medicaid funding cuts as
state budget deliberations move forward.
1
http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170525/1-million-ohioans-to-
lose-health-coverage-under-obamacare-replacement

Ohios biennial state budget process

Each odd-numbered year, the state must enact a
main operating budget to authorize the majority of
state spending for the following two years.

The state budget includes funding for Medicaid, K-

12 education, local governments, public corrections,
higher education and more. The deliberation
process is lengthy and can be incredibly
overwhelming to understand, which is why I
included a flow chart in an effort to better help you
understand how the budget is enacted.

If you would like to learn more about following the

budget-making process, or if you want to share
input on the current budget status, please do not
hesitate to contact my office with any questions or
concerns.