The Ohio House of Representatives passed the $88 billion two-year state operating budget on April 26 with an increase in Free Clinic Safety-Net Funding! CHN strongly advocated for an additional $500,000 over the two-year budget to increase our funding to $1.75 million per SFY. We are very thankful for the support from the Ohio legislature to provide resources and recognize the work that free and charitable providers do in our communities! Thank you to all of the CHN members who help us continue to make the case that the care provided by our network is an essential part of the healthcare delivery system in Ohio.
Our advocacy work continues as the Ohio Senate has already begun hearings on the budget. Senators have until May 18 to submit amendments to Finance Chairman Matt Dolan. It is expected that the Senate’s budget bill will be unveiled and voted on in early June. After that bill passes the Senate, the conference committee process, where the two chambers debate the differences between the bill, will take place in the final two weeks in June. The bill must be signed before July 1. As the process moves forward, we will continue to advocate on behalf of our members to maintain and potentially increase the Free Clinic Safety-Net Funding in the budget.
