HB 287 Summary

• Establishes the Ohio Health Care Plan to provide universal, affordable health care coverage to all Ohio residents and individuals employed in the state, administered by a new Ohio Health Care Agency under an Ohio Health Care Board.

• Creates a comprehensive single benefit package including inpatient/outpatient care, emergency services, prescription drugs, mental health services, dental care, vision care, and other medical services with no copayments or deductibles for covered residents.

• Organizes the state into seven regions, each electing representatives to regional health advisory committees that oversee consumer and provider complaints and elect members to the statewide Ohio Health Care Board.

• Establishes an Ohio Health Care Fund financed through state revenues to pay all provider claims on a fee-for-service or capitated basis, with annual budgets covering system operations, provider payments, capital investments, purchasing, and research.

• Requires the state to seek federal waivers to obtain Medicare and Medicaid funding for the plan and allows existing private health insurance for services not duplicating the state plan's benefits until the policy expires.