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Ohio Officials Seek Medicaid Eligibility Overhaul
By: Associated Press
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State officials are expected to announce plans Wednesday to overhaul Medicaid eligibility for about 700,000 Ohioans.
The proposal is aimed at simplifying the state's complex and lengthy process for determining whether a person is eligible for the tax-funded program that serves the poor and disabled. The changes would require approval from the federal government.
Determining whether a person is eligible for Medicaid can take as long as 45 days while case workers evaluate applicants against more than 150 separate categories.
The state wants to move away from what officials call a fragmented process, to a more simplified model based on income.
Officials are also seeking federal support to help replace a more than 25-year-old computer system that frequently denies Medicaid eligibility in error and causes a huge administrative burden.