Dayton Business Journal
Court sides with Ohio Gov. Kasich on Medicaid expansion
By Tristan Navera

The Ohio Supreme Court denied a request Friday from several state organizations hoping to reverse Medicaid expansion in Ohio.

Opinions issued Friday ended the legal challenge set up by six state legislators, as well as two pro-life groups and the conservative-leaning 1851 Center for Constitutional Law against Medicaid expansion in the state, a battle which has continued between Gov. John Kasich and General Assembly Republicans for much of this year.

The court denied the writs of mandamus and prohibition requested by the groups seeking to reverse a move by the Ohio Controlling Board in October which essentially funded Medicaid expansion in the state. In a opinion issued Friday, the court said the controlling board did not violate the law by accepting $2.5 billion in federal money to support expanding Medicaid coverage through 2015.

At stake are Medicaid benefits for about 275,000 Ohioans earning under 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, who would be newly eligible should the Controlling Board’s vote hold up. The state hopes to capture $13 billion in federal funds to fund the expansion of Medicaid in-state.

The Controlling Board voted 5-2 to accept the federal funds through the 2015 fiscal year in October. Local state Rep. Ross McGregor, R-Springfield, and State Sen. Chris Widener, R-Springfield, voted for expansion while state Sen. Bill Coley, R-Liberty Township, voted no. Kasich had originally proposed accepting the federal funds in the 2014-2015 budget, but that was rejected by the legislature, which countered with a line item forbidding Medicaid expansion that Kasich later vetoed.

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