The Ohio General Assembly on Wednesday approved a broad Medicaid program integrity package after key provisions from House Bill 795 were amended into Senate Bill 315, legislation originally focused on upgrading SNAP benefit cards with enhanced security technology.
The final bill includes a series of Medicaid oversight and anti-fraud measures, including increased penalties for Medicaid fraud, expanded provider screening and enrollment requirements, additional program integrity reporting, new electronic visit verification requirements, and enhanced investigative authority for the Ohio Attorney General and Auditor of State.
Notably, lawmakers removed several controversial provisions that had generated significant concern during committee hearings, including a proposed prohibition on family members serving as paid caregivers under certain Medicaid waiver programs. The final legislation also exempts live-in family caregivers from electronic visit verification GPS tracking requirements.
For hospice providers, the most significant development is what was not included.
The hospice integrity provisions from House Bill 945 — legislation developed by LeadingAge Ohio in partnership with Representative Andrea White and a coalition of hospice stakeholders — were initially amended into HB 795 as the Medicaid reform package moved through the House. However, those hospice provisions were ultimately removed during final negotiations and were not included in the version passed by the General Assembly.
As a result, HB 945 remains pending as standalone legislation and is expected to receive further consideration when lawmakers return following summer recess.
HB 945 focuses on strengthening hospice oversight, increasing transparency and accountability, and ensuring providers have the staffing, infrastructure, and operational capacity necessary to serve patients and families. The legislation was developed in response to significant growth in the number of hospice providers operating in Ohio and concerns regarding program integrity, ownership transparency, and quality reporting.
LeadingAge Ohio remains committed to advancing HB 945 and will continue working with Representative White, legislative leaders, the Ohio Home Care & Hospice Council, the Ohio Health Care Association, and other stakeholders to move the legislation forward.
Members are encouraged to attend this Monday’s Advocacy in Action call, where the LeadingAge Ohio policy team will provide further details on efforts to advance HB945 this fall.