Advocates for Medicaid expansion say it has been successful and they are gearing up for a possible fight with Ohio lawmakers to keep it in place. Bobby Douglas, the executive director of the Liberty Center Connections in Wooster, says the expansion has been a huge help to Ohioans suffering from substance abuse.
“Medicaid expansion has permitted us to serve more people. As people have the ability to pay for their care, we are able to hire staff and expand services to meet this demand. During 2014, we were able to increase our service provision by 11% [and expect it to be significantly higher in 2015].”
Republican House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger says the upcoming debate in the legislature won’t be over whether to expand Medicaid but will instead focus on ways to move people off public assistance.
