HB 121 Summary

• Establishes the Ohio Health Care Plan to provide universal and affordable health care coverage to all Ohio residents and individuals employed in Ohio, with comprehensive benefits including prescription drugs, mental health services, dental care, and vision care.

• Creates the Ohio Health Care Agency administered by the Ohio Health Care Board, which consists of 15 members (the director of health plus 14 members elected from seven regional health advisory committees) with authority to set rates, establish budgets, and manage a single-payer system.

• Eliminates patient cost-sharing by prohibiting copayments, deductibles, and direct billing for covered services; provides free choice of providers and ensures no discrimination based on pre-existing conditions.

• Establishes mechanisms for federal funding participation through Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP waivers; creates budgeting requirements including system budgets, provider budgets, capital investment budgets, and research budgets with administrative costs capped at 5% of the system budget.

• Provides transition assistance for workers displaced by plan implementation (up to $60,000 per year for two years) and allows existing employer health plans to continue until expiration with certain conditions regarding benefit levels.