Cincinnati Enquirer…
Sebelius: Ohio’s efforts won’t block health-care reform
Written by Cliff Peale
Jun. 30, 2011 

AVONDALE - The nation’s top health care official said Thursday that efforts in Ohio and other states to block President Barack Obama’s health-care reform won’t stop implementation of the landmark law. 

Conservative groups are gathering signatures on a measure they hope to get on the November ballot that would exempt Ohioans from the central measure of the law, the mandate to buy health insurance or pay a penalty. 

“States really can’t pre-empt federal law,” said Kathleen Sebelius, the Cincinnati native who is secretary of Health and Human Services. “I think they can make a statement. But the issue of health insurance for everyone really is a shared responsibility.” 

She lauded Wednesday’s decision upholding the law by the federal appeals court based here, calling it another step on the way to full implementation in 2014. 

Signed by President Barack Obama in March 2010, the law requires all Americans to buy insurance or pay a penalty and requires employers to provide benefits or pay a penalty. It also prohibits insurers from denying policies to sick people. 

Conservative advocacy group the Ohio Liberty Council said on its Internet site that expects to turn in more than 500,000 signatures by the July 6 deadline on a measure that would void the requirement to buy insurance, often called the “individual mandate.” 

That’s about 115,000 more signatures than will need to be approved for the measure to appear on the ballot in November. 

The group said the amendment “will place Ohioans in the strongest position possible to defend themselves from onerous health care mandates and regulations.” 

Sebelius was in town to spread the message about Medicare benefits available under the law. Those benefits include preventive care without co-payments or deductibles and heavy discounts on branded prescription drugs. 

Sebelius said 20,000 Ohioans have capitalized on the preventive-care measure, saving money for both patients and for the system as a whole. 

The gathering at the Center for Closing the Health Gap off Burnet Avenue demonstrated some of the confusion about Medicare benefits. 

One person said many African-American seniors regard Medicare in the same vein as welfare, while another asked if rules for the federal program change across states. They do not. 

Thelma Massey of Springdale, a cancer survivor who was one of nearly 100 people attending the event, called the preventive benefits “a blessing.” 

She said a lot of older people might be skipping preventive services because of the cost, not aware that the new law covers those costs. 

“I’ve had mammograms, colonoscopies, X-rays, you name it,” said Massey, 73. “Most people fear the cost, so if I don’t feel that, I’m more likely to do it.” 

Read it at the Cincinnati Enquirer