State lawmakers are winding down their summer recess this month. When they return, Medicaid is at the top of the agenda. A coalition has launched a petition drive to put Medicaid expansion before voters next year if lawmakers don’t do something on it this year. Jon Allison heads Healthy Ohioans Work - he's also the former legislative director and chief of staff for Republican Gov. Bob Taft. Among those with concerns about Medicaid expansion is Robert Alt, the president of the conservative think tank the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions.
There are around 17,000 Ohioans who are serving in the Ohio Army and Air National Guard – the state has the largest Army National Guard in the nation. While some of those soldiers and airmen are students, most of them are full-time workers for employers across Ohio when they are not in uniform. And the Ohio National Guard is well aware of the importance of employers to its cause. The Guard offered employers the chance to come to the Air and Army National Guard base at Rickenbacker south of Columbus a few weeks ago, the chance to get a close look at their employees’ other jobs.