OHA Advocacy Network

Advocacy Report • Monday, January 8, 2007

A flurry of government activity is going on in the halls of the Ohio Statehouse. Before leaving office last Friday, outgoing Gov. Bob Taft signed a number of bills from last session, many of which impact the OHA membership. While just getting sworn into office early this morning, Gov. Ted Strickland has already taken actions which impact Ohio hospitals, specifically with the naming of cabinet directors who will oversee hospital-related issues. The following are some of the Statehouse activities impacting OHA members.

Strickland Sworn In, Cabinet Members Named

Coming soon...

«In mid-January, OHA will distribute the 126^th General Assembly State Legislative and Regulatory Wrap-Up bulletin with analysis of legislation signed into law and other legislation left pending.

«OHA advocacy materials for the 127^th General Assembly, including Advocacy Network Reference Manual, Legislative Directory and Advocacy Agenda, will be available in early February, after committee assignments have been made.

Ted Strickland took his oath of office in the early hours this morning.

Over the past few weeks, Gov. Strickland named a number of cabinet members, including:

Dr. Alvin Jackson, Ohio Department of Health
Leaving his post as medical director of Community Health

Services in Fremont, Jackson begins his tenure at ODH with a strong background in Ohio hospitals. Jackson served as chief of staff at Memorial Hospital in Fremont from 2003-2005. "Knowing first-hand Dr. Jackson's strong background in the Ohio hospital community, I look forward to working with him in his new

leadership role with the department of health," says Al Gorman, CEO of Memorial Hospital in Fremont.

To ensure a smooth and successful transition for his patients, Jackson will begin his service on April 1, 2007. Until then, Ann Harnish, current assistant director of the Ohio Department of

Health, will serve as acting director.

ODH strives to protect and improve the health of all Ohioans, through partnerships with 143 local health departments and the members of the medical and health communities. The Department works jointly with them to prevent disease, injury and premature death, support healthy lifestyles and assure the quality of health care services.

Helen Jones-Kelley, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services

Jones-Kelley comes to ODJFS from her position as executive director of Montgomery County Children Services. She has served on the Board of Miami Valley Hospital and the Premier Health Partners Board.

ODJFS develops and oversees programs that provide health care, employment and economic assistance, child support, and services to families and children. The programs and services, delivered at the local level. are designed to help Ohioans be healthy and safe, while gaining and maintaining independence.

Mary Jo Hudson Ohio Department of Insurance
Hudson is very familiar with the Ohio insurance industry and regulatory role of the Department, where she worked from 1989 to 1996 as Deputy Liquidator and an attorney. Hudson also practiced law for 10 years at the Columbus law offices of Bailey Cavalieri, focusing on insurance regulation and liquidation law, consumer law compliance, and state and federal advertising law.

ODI provides consumer protection through education and fair but vigilant regulation while promoting a stable and competitive environment for insurers.

For more information about Gov. Strickland and his cabinet, visit http://governor2.ohio.gov/.

Health Care Legislation Signed Into Law

Before leaving office, Gov. Bob Taft signed numerous pieces of legislation into law, many of which impact the OHA membership. In mid-January, OHA will distribute the 126^th General Assembly State Legislative and Regulatory Wrap-Up bulletin with analysis of these bills and other legislation left pending.

The following bills will go into effect 90 days after being signed:

Blood Alcohol Tests : House Bill 461, Rep. Larry Wolpert (R – Hillard), signed Jan. 2, 2007 - Allows a judge to admit into evidence, during a trial charging operation of a vehicle under the influence (OVI), the results of blood alcohol and other substance abuse tests ordered by a health care provider on its own initiative and not at the request of a law enforcement officer.

Minimum Wage Implementation: House Bill 690, Rep. Bill Seitz (R – Cincinnati), signed Jan. 2, 2007 – Implementation of Ohio’s new minimum wage.

Small Employer Health Insurance: Senate Bill 5, Sen. Jay Hottinger (R – Newark), signed Dec. 22, 2006 - Permit small employers to offer health care plans without benefits otherwise required by statute, to provide for the operation of health savings accounts consistent with federal laws, and to limit the amount of co-payments and deductibles paid by persons insured by health benefit plans.

Mental Health Parity: Senate Bill 116, Sen. Robert Spada (R – North Royalton), signed Dec. 27, 2006 - Prohibit, subject to certain exceptions, discriminations in group health care policies, contracts and agreements in the coverage provided for the diagnosis, care and treatment of biologically based mental illnesses. Also, applies a 90-day moratorium on specialties hospitals in counties with populations of 140,000 (Clark, Licking and Greene).

County Hospitals: Senate Bill 126, Sen. Lynn Wachtmann (R – Napoleon), signed Dec. 29, 2006 – Modify the laws governing county hospitals.

Guaranty Fund: Senate Bill 279, Sen. Steve Stivers (R – Columbus), signed Dec. 29, 2006 - exempt the Ohio Insurance Guaranty Association from being obligated to pay more than a single three hundred thousand dollar claim for injury or death to any one person and a claim of an insured whose net worth exceeds fifty million dollars.

Egress Doors: Senate Bill 305, Sen. Steve Stivers (R – Columbus), signed Jan. 2, 2007 – Clarify in statue the permitted use of controlled egress doors in children’s hospitals, hospital maternity units and hospital psychiatric units statewide.

Schedules and Phone Listings for the 127^th General Assembly

Last week, the 127^th Ohio General Assembly was sworn in and will spend most of January orienting new members. The legislative schedule for the first half of 2007 is now available at http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/today.cfm. Phone listings for the House and Senate are available as well.

OHA advocacy materials for the 127^th General Assembly, including Advocacy Network Reference Manual, Legislative Directory and Advocacy Agenda, will be available in early February, after committee assignments have been made.

Not a Member of the Advocacy Network?

Being a member of the OHA Advocacy Network provides you access to information on government activity and assists the hospital industry in sending unified messages to elected officials. If you are not a current member, you can easily join on-line. Join today to start reaping the benefits of being a member of the OHA Advocacy Network.

The OHA Advocacy Network is a service of the Ohio Hospital Association, 155 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215-3620, 614-221-7614, 614-221-4771 (fax)

Visit us on the Web at: www.ohanet.org

Direct questions on OHA’s advocacy agenda to:

Bridget Gargan, Vice President, State Policy & Advocacy (bridgetg@ohanet.org)

Jeff Klingler, Director, State Policy & Advocacy (jeffk@ohanet.org)

Jean Scholz, RN, Director, Health Policy (jeans@ohanet.org)

Rick Sites, General Counsel (ricks@ohanet.org)

Stacey Conrad, Specialist, State Policy & Advocacy (staceyc@ohanet.org)

Jonathan Archey, Manager, Federal Relations (jonathana@ohanet.org)

Laura Landis, Executive Assistant, State Policy & Advocacy (laural@ohanet.org)