STATE BUDGET DEFICIT WIDENS

Today, Ohio’s Director of the Office of Budget & Management (OBM) said the state is still facing a $640 million budget deficit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009.  OBM Director Pari Sabety also projected a $7.3 billion deficit in the next biennium which starts on July 1, 2009.  Even if state agencies only spend 90 per cent of current spending levels as part of the next budget, the state could still be $4 billion short.  This means that much of the focus during the first six months of next year will be negotiations on how to pass a very lean budget for the next two fiscal years starting on July 1, 2009.

 

COMMITTEE SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK

The Ohio Legislature is scheduled to be in session the next three weeks before it recesses for the year and the end of the 2-year legislative session.  This week there are three health insurance related bills having hearings in the Senate.  They are as follows:

            Senate Health, Human Services & Aging Committee
            HB 495 – This bill would prohibit a physician from billing for anatomic pathology services unless the services are personally rendered by a physician or rendered under the physician’s direct supervision.  This is the second hearing in the committee.

            Senate Insurance, Commerce & Labor Committee
            SB 298 - This bill would prohibit discrimination in health insurance policies for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses and substance abuse or addition.  This bill is an enhanced version of the mental health parity law that already was enacted into Ohio law last year.  This is the first hearing on the bill.

            SB 99 – This mandate bill would require health insurance policies to include benefits for diabetes equipment, supplies and medication and for the diagnosis, treatment and management of diabetes.  This will be the fourth hearing on the bill.

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