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Conservative Think Tank Criticizes Gov. Kasich's Medicaid Expansion Decision

John Kasich
M.L. SCHULTZE
/
WKSU

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.

Karen is a lifelong Ohioan who has served as news director at WCBE-FM, assignment editor/overnight anchor at WBNS-TV, and afternoon drive anchor/assignment editor in WTAM-AM in Cleveland. In addition to her daily reporting for Ohio’s public radio stations, she’s reported for NPR, the BBC, ABC Radio News and other news outlets. She hosts and produces the Statehouse News Bureau’s weekly TV show “The State of Ohio”, which airs on PBS stations statewide. She’s also a frequent guest on WOSU TV’s “Columbus on the Record”, a regular panelist on “The Sound of Ideas” on ideastream in Cleveland, appeared on the inaugural edition of “Face the State” on WBNS-TV and occasionally reports for “PBS Newshour”. She’s often called to moderate debates, including the Columbus Metropolitan Club’s Issue 3/legal marijuana debate and its pre-primary mayoral debate, and the City Club of Cleveland’s US Senate debate in 2012.