A conservative think tank that’s been opposed to Medicaid expansion is sounding off on reports that the state may face a billion dollar problem in the next budget, set to be introduced in January.
Gov. John Kasich’s Medicaid expansion included a sales tax on Medicaid managed care organizations, which has brought in a billion dollars in tax revenue and matching federal money. A lot of that goes to county governments and local transit authorities. The feds now say the state can’t charge that tax. Greg Lawson with the Buckeye Institute has been critical of the plan since the beginning. "We really do hate to have to be the ones to say, ‘I told you so’, because the reality is this was a situation that was imminently foreseeable.”
The Office of Budget and Management says in a statement that this is a significant issue, but the agency knew it was coming and it will work through it.
