To amend section 109.02 and to enact sections 3920.01, 3920.02, 3920.03, 3920.04, 3920.05, 3920.06, 3920.07, 3920.08, 3920.09, 3920.10, 3920.11, 3920.12, 3920.13, 3920.14, 3920.15, 3920.21, 3920.22, 3920.23, 3920.24, 3920.25, 3920.26, 3920.27, 3920.28, 3920.31, 3920.32, and 3920.33 of the Revised Code to establish and operate the Ohio Health Care Plan to provide universal health care coverage to all Ohio residents.
HB289 would create the Ohio Health Care Plan, a statewide universal health coverage system for Ohio residents and certain people employed in Ohio. The bill establishes a new Ohio health care agency and a 15-member Ohio health care board to administer the program, set benefits, manage provider payments, oversee complaints and appeals, and coordinate planning, quality assurance, and consumer outreach. It also creates regional health advisory committees across seven regions of the state to help elect board members, hear complaints, and advise the board.
The plan would provide a comprehensive single health benefits package that includes hospital and physician services, emergency care, transportation, mental health and substance use treatment, prescription drugs, dental, vision, hearing, preventive care, home health care, and other services. Enrollees would not face copayments or direct billing for covered services, and the plan would prohibit discrimination in coverage or provider participation. The bill also sets up a dedicated health care fund, a capital account, a research and innovation budget, and a financing structure that relies on employer payroll taxes, business gross receipts taxes, and additional income taxes, while also seeking federal funding and waivers to coordinate with Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP, and federal employee coverage.
If enacted, HB289 would substantially rewrite Ohio law by adding a new chapter to the Revised Code and creating a state-run single-payer health care system. It would shift major responsibility for health coverage, claims payment, provider reimbursement, budgeting, and health planning to the new Ohio health care agency and board, while also limiting the role of private insurers for duplicative coverage and requiring coordination with federal programs where possible. The bill would affect residents, employers, health care providers, insurers, hospitals, clinics, and state agencies, and it would also establish new tax and funding mechanisms to support the program.
The bill’s text and sponsorship suggest strong support for universal coverage, affordability, and administrative simplification, and its cosponsorship list indicates a notable level of backing among House members at introduction. However, the available record shows no committee transcript, no recorded votes, and the bill remained in the House Insurance Committee, so there is no documented floor debate or formal vote history to gauge broader legislative sentiment. Based on the proposal itself, the overall tone is reform-oriented and expansive, aiming to replace fragmented coverage with a universal public system.
The main points of contention likely concern the bill’s creation of a single-payer system, the new payroll, gross receipts, and high-income taxes used to finance it, and the extent to which private insurance would be displaced or limited. Providers and insurers may also object to state control over reimbursement rates, capital spending approvals, and the requirement that the plan act as a single payer for claims. Additional concerns may arise over federal waiver dependence, the administrative complexity of launching the program, and the bill’s broad authority for the board to set budgets, exclude certain treatments, and impose cost-control measures.