Today, Advocates for Ohio’s Future submitted our comments and sign-on letter in response to Ohio’s proposed Medicaid work requirements waiver, which was released for public comment on December 17, 2024. The letter was signed by 49 organizations and 93 individuals across 24 counties who share AOF’s concerns.

On Thursday, November 21st, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would allow the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury to unilaterally rescind the 501c3 status of nonprofit organizations that the Secretary deems to be “terrorist supporting organizations.”

Advocates for Ohio’s Future responds to proponent testimony this morning

Sarah Hudacek has been appointed Coalition Manager of Advocates for Ohio’s Future, after three years with the organization. With 30 member organizations and 500 endorsers, AOF supports policies that build community prosperity for all Ohioans, developing comprehensive strategies to address benefit cliffs and strengthen supports across programs.  

This week, Governor DeWine delivered his annual State of the State address, which, in a historic move, focused almost entirely on Ohio youth from birth through higher education. Many of the proposals the Governor introduced are promising steps towards making Ohio the best state to live and grow up. Ohio adults and older adults are vital parts of a healthy Ohio, as well. AOF continues to advocate for policies and investments that make Ohio not just the best state to live and grow up, but to later work, raise a family, retire, and age.

One in seven children face hunger in Ohio. The nearly 400,000 Ohio youth who may not know where their next meal is coming from rely on public programs and charitable contributions to obtain the necessary food to thrive. Once again this summer, all Ohio children are eligible for participation in the Ohio Summer Food Service Program, Ohio’s edition of the federal Summer Food Service Program, while qualifying families may also be enrolled in the newly-created Summer-EBT program.

As part of our effort to improve the health and human services landscape for all Ohioans, AOF is always tracking state legislative efforts related to our work. Below is an overview of some of the major pieces of legislation AOF is tracking, including links to bills, information about co-sponsors and movement, as well as descriptions regarding what each bill seeks to implement.

The opioid epidemic continues to harm Ohioans and families across the state. In 2022, nearly 5,000 Ohioans died as a result of an unintentional drug overdose, with over 80 percent of deaths involving opioids. The OneOhio Recovery Foundation was created to use state funds received from settlements with pharmaceutical companies to invest in substance misuse prevention, treatment and recovery efforts, and increase access to critical resources for people who use drugs.

Over one million Ohioans have diagnosed diabetes and rely upon prescription insulin for their everyday well-being. For people with diabetes, insulin is vital, and often costly. Nationally, the price of a 30-day supply of insulin increased by 184 percent between 2012 and 2021. Prices have declined slightly in recent years but still remain significant for individuals already paying more on healthcare. On average, people with diabetes spend 2.3 times more on medical expenses compared to those without diabetes.

Approximately five Ohioans die by suicide every day. This statistic headlined the February 9th release of the Health Policy Institute of Ohio (HPIO) data snapshot detailing key statistics surrounding the prevalence of suicide and mental illness in the state of Ohio. Suicide is the fifth leading cause of death among working-age Ohioans, and HPIO’s data snapshot shows mental health challenges are increasingly common among school-aged Ohioans.

Over the past few months, the Ohio House of Representatives has discussed passage of multiple bills regarding property taxes paid by Ohioans. House Bill 263 and House Bill 344 are two pieces of legislation seeking to change how much Ohioans pay in property taxes in certain situations, with House Bill 263 targeting older adults and House Bill 344 the elimination of replacement levies.

OhioRISE (Resilience through Integrated Systems and Excellence) is a state program created as part of Ohio Medicaid’s effort to launch a new era of Medicaid for Ohioans, focused on specialized care for youth with complex needs. OhioRISE was created in recognition of the need for specialized services targeted at Ohio children and youth. OhioRISE was designed for multi-system youth, that is, kids and families involved with multiple systems in pursuit of receiving care, with an eventual goal of providing care coordination and oversight to all aspects of the child’s care.

AOF is excited to release updated public benefits eligibility resources for advocates.

Governor DeWine has made tackling the issues of mental health and substance use key aspects of his administration’s objectives, and a monumental announcement last week demonstrates the state’s long-term commitment to bettering the behavioral health landscape throughout the state.

Advocates for Ohio’s Future (AOF) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit coalition of health and human services advocacy, provider, and research organizations. Our main goal is to bring health and human services organizations together to be in coalition, sharing knowledge and advocating for progress in policy.

The State of Ohio is facing ongoing issues regarding school attendance in its K-12 public schools. Numbers released as part of the 2022-2023 Ohio School Report Card showed more than one-in-four students enrolled in Ohio’s public schools were considered chronically absent.

Beginning January 1st, the City of Columbus implemented a ban on the sale of all flavored tobacco and nicotine products, a move cited by public health proponents as a positive but criticized by others as an instance of government imposing on individual freedom of choice. All products with any added flavoring are no longer allowed to be sold in Columbus, as well as nearby suburbs Bexley, Grandview Heights and Worthington.  

AOF is excited to announce our 2024 Steering Committee! It is AOF’s honor and privilege to be in coalition with these 30 incredible organizations and the work they do. Thank you to our members for their leadership and support!