Ohio Launches New Health Care Reform Web Site

The helpful blog Ohio Health Policy Review notes today that the Ohio Department of Insurance has created a new website to promote Gov. Ted Strickland's Healthcare Coverage Reform Initiative. The purpose of the initiative is to provide access to affordable health insurance coverage to all uninsured Ohioans, with an initial goal of providing coverage to 500,000 more Ohioans by 2011. To that end, Strickland has asked for a bi-partisan, inclusive, transparent process to develop reforms tailored to Ohio. From the OHPR blog:

"The website brings together the different work being done under this initiative, including Ohio's participation in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation State Coverage Initiative, which allows people from the Governor's administration, Ohio General Assembly, and key stakeholders to work with leaders and experts from around the country on how to cover Ohio's uninsured residents. Another aspect of the initiative is the Governor's Healthcare Coverage Initiative Advisory Committee, an advisory group to provide guidance in developing reforms.

"According to the Health Coverage Reform Initiative website, 'stakeholder groups are currently being formed to share information that will shape plans to cover Ohio’s uninsured residents.' Anyone desiring to join one one of these stakeholder groups should go the 'Public Input' section of the website and provide their contact information and group preference."

This initiative is the larger framework into which the expansion of SCHIP to provide Medicaid coverage to uninsured children fits.