Kasich Administration Seeks Money to Faciliate Medicaid Eligibility

The Governor’s Office of Health Transformation (OHT) is seeking federal funding to initiate a Medicaid Eligibility Modernization Project.  The proposal involves simplifying client eligibility based on income, streamlining state and local determination responsibility, and modernizing eligibility systems technology.  

Currently, there are more than 150 categories of eligibility and two separate determination processes based on disabling condition.  The lack of standardization has led to county-by-county solutions rather than a coordinated state approach.  

In addition, Ohio’s Enhanced Client Registry Information (CRIS-E) System, which supports eligibility determination, is more than 30 years old.  The current system is not capable of meeting the processing standards for the estimated 940,000 Ohioans who will be newly eligible for Medicaid in 2014 as a result of federal health care reform.