Complete Story
05/25/2021
Ohio House Bill 248 sign on opportunity
OSMA’s House of Delegates recently passed Resolution 2021-15, Surprise Billing
To: Members of the Ohio House Health Committee
Re: HB 248-11
Dear Ohio House Health Committee,
As organizations representing 1.3 million+ Ohioans, we are gravely concerned by HB 248-11, legislation that puts ALL Ohioans, including children, at risk. Among us are physicians, nurses, health commissioners, hospitals and business owners, who feel moved to firmly voice our shared concerns. At its core, this proposal would destroy our current public health framework that prevents outbreaks of potentially lethal diseases, threaten the stability of our economy as it recovers from a devastating pandemic, and jeopardize the way we live, learn, work and celebrate life.
The legislature has heard that this bill’s purpose is to prevent the COVID-19 vaccine from becoming mandatory, but HB 248-11 applies to ALL immunizations, including childhood vaccines. If passed, this legislation has the potential to reverse decades of immunity from life-threatening, but vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, mumps, hepatitis, meningitis and tuberculosis. In fact, the words “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” are not found anywhere in the bill.
This legislation would also take away the rights of individuals who have businesses in Ohio to implement important safety measures meant to protect their employees, clients, and others. Many businesses have seen enormous fallout as a result of the pandemic and are working to rebuild and move forward. Business owners should each retain the right to carefully evaluate the unique circumstances they face, and make their own determinations about what is best for keeping the workplace healthy and their overall recovery.
As current Ohio law allows for school immunization exemptions for medical, religious, or reasons of conscience (known as the philosophical exemption), and most businesses allow for flexibility in regard to vaccinations, we question the need for HB 248-11. This overly broad proposal would further strip away accountability and compassion for our fellow Ohioans, and cause severe disruption to our state’s health, economy, and way of life. It is our urgent plea that HB 248-11 be rejected, to protect the vitality of Ohio’s children and families and avoid disastrous consequences for the future of our state.
Respectfully,
Akron Children’s Hospital | Ohio Association of School Nurses |
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Inc. | Ohio Business Roundtable |
American College of Emergency Physicians | OCALI |
American College of Physicians | Ohio Chamber of Commerce |
American College of Surgeons - Ohio | Ohio Chapter – American College of Cardiology |
Anthem | Ohio Children’s Hospital Association |
Arthritis Foundation | Ohio Coroners Association |
Association of Ohio Health Commissioners | Ohio Dermatological Association |
BASA – Ohio’s Superintendent Association | Ohio Health Care Association |
Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) | Ohio Health |
Buckeye Health Plan | Ohio Hematology Oncology Society |
Charitable Healthcare Network | Ohio Hospital Association |
Children’s Defense Fund | Ohio Manufacturers’ Association |
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center | Ohio Nurses Association |
Columbus Medical Association | Ohio Orthopaedic Society |
Dayton Children’s Hospital | Ohio Osteopathic Association |
Groundwork Ohio | Ohio Pharmacists Association |
Immunize Ohio | Ohio Psychiatric Physicians Association |
Medical Group Management Association | Ohio Society of Pathologists |
Molina Healthcare | Ohio State Coroners Association |
Nationwide Children’s Hospital | Ohio State Medical Association |
Ohio Chapter - American Academy of Pediatrics | ProMedica Russell J. Ebeid Children’s Hospital |
Ohio Academy of Family Physicians | SummaCare |
Ohio Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs | The Academy of Medicine of Cleveland & Northern Ohio |
Ohio American College of Emergency Physicians | The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists |
Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses | UC Health |
Ohio Association of Child Care Providers | UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital |
Ohio Association of Health Plans | |
Ohio Association of Rheumatology |