Blackwell Calls for Required Health Insurance for All Residents

Ohio gubernatorial candidate Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell (R) last week announced a proposal that would require all state residents to have health insurance. The proposal, modeled after a Massachusetts law enacted earlier this year, would require the estimated 1.3 million uninsured Ohio residents to obtain health insurance, with premiums paid by residents, employers, Medicaid subsidies or a combination of the three. Although Blackwell has not determined eligibility requirements for the Medicaid subsidies, he said that state residents with the lowest incomes would receive the highest subsidies. Blackwell said Ohio would have to request a waiver from the federal government to use Medicaid funds for the program and that the government likely would approve the wavier. Blackwell did not estimate the amount of federal funds that the proposal would require. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Ted Strickland criticized the proposal as "irresponsible." He added, "We must work to offer access to affordable health insurance to our people without forcing them into plans they can't afford." Earlier this month, Strickland announced a proposal that would help uninsured state residents obtain private health insurance but would not require them to obtain coverage. The proposal would provide Medicaid subsidies to help low-income uninsured state residents pay health insurance premiums and would pool other uninsured residents to negotiate lower premiums with employers and health insurers.