HB 110. Created state appropriations for FY22-23:
1) Extends postpartum coverage for Medicaid-eligible pregnant women from 60 days to 12 months, some 10,000 additional women will maintain access to critical health services.
2) Appropriates $29M over biennium for implementing infant vitality initiatives at state and local level, increasing awareness, and collecting data and includes $500k to allows a universal needs assessment for vulnerable women.
3) Invests $2.25M in FY22 in Healthy Beginnings at Home to support stable housing for pregnant women and new mothers.
4) Designates Maternal Mortality Awareness Month to increase awareness and prevention of pregnancy-associated deaths.
5) Increases investment in Ohio Help Me Grow to $41.2M each fiscal year.
6) Expands access to Ohio Help Me Grow for children ages 3-5 engaged in child welfare system.
7) Provides more than $6M over biennium to prevent child lead poisoning and support prevention efforts.
8) Expands access to publicly-funded child care (PFCC) to families making up to 142% FPL,
9) Expands access to PFCC to families with children who have special needs making up to 150% FPL,
10) Provides $50M in co-pay assistance for families accessing PFCC.
11) Requires recent federal relief funding on child care to be spent on stabilizing and sustaining child care system, improving workforce recruitment, and increasing access.
12) Doubles investment in Governor’s Imagination Library to $16M over biennium to support early literacy efforts.
Ohio Dept. of Medicaid released Managed Care Plans selected to provide services beginning in mid-2022. Application requirements included many early childhood provisions and some plans zeroed in on prenatal to five. This policy win will impact over 400,000 children ages 0-5 currently enrolled in Medicaid.
During the state budget, the legislature attempted to eliminate Ohio’s 5-star quality rating and improvement system, Step Up To Quality. While the high-quality mandate requiring center-based programs to be rated at least 3 stars or higher by 2025 was eliminated, the legislature did keep the 2020 mandate requiring all programs that participate in PFCC to be rated at least 1 star.
