The Ohio burgee. (Getty images file photo.)
Every morning in the Ohio Capital Journal’s free newsletter, The Eye-Opener, we round up the news and commentary from across Ohio and around the country and world that is catching our attention. We call this feature Catching Our Eye, republished here.
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Catching Our Eye
• Medicaid. The Statehouse News Bureau’s Karen Kasler reports, “Legislative leaders speak out about allegations of fraud in Ohio Medicaid program.”
The Trump administration is temporarily stopping new home health and hospital providers from enrolling in Medicare because of concerns about fraud in the system. This comes after a conservative outlet reported dozens of home health care businesses in Columbus allegedly billed the other government insurance program, Medicaid, for millions of dollars’ worth of services that were never provided. Ohio’s legislative leaders are now weighing in on the situation.
House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said he believes the report put out by the Daily Wire. Huffman said he is talking with other leaders about the possibility of new legislation on fraud. But he said lawmakers have tried to deal with protecting the program from fraud.
• Medicaid measures. The Dayton Daily News’ Samantha Wildow reports, “DeWine imposing Medicaid changes to address possible fraud, waste.”
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine imposed new limitations on aspects of the Medicaid program that critics have accused of lacking oversight or proper checks, making the program vulnerable to potential fraud or misuse…
DeWine instructed the Ohio Department of Medicaid to seek permission from the federal government to impose a moratorium on new home-healthcare and hospice businesses being able to become Medicaid providers. He also plans to issue an executive order that would lead to more stringent oversight of certain providers already part of the Medicaid program.
• FirstEnergy re-trial. Cleveland.com’s Jeremy Pelzer reports, “Dave Yost predicts FirstEnergy bribery retrial will proceed under new Ohio AG.”
Outgoing Attorney General Dave Yost expressed confidence Thursday that ex-FirstEnergy executives Chuck Jones and Mike Dowling will be retried on bribery charges even though Yost is stepping down next month.
Yost’s comments, posted on social media, are the strongest indication yet that a scheduled retrial of Jones and Dowling this fall will continue as planned under his recently appointed successor, Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Andy Wilson.
• False. The Columbus Dispatch’s Chad Murphy reports, “Letter falsely claims DeWine signed law banning ‘aimless driving’ in Ohio.”
The letter falsely states a new law, House Bill 626, outlaws “aimless driving” with a $1,000 fine. The real House Bill 626 deals with electronic court notifications and has not been passed into law. Similar hoax letters targeting “joyriding” have also appeared in Florida and Kentucky.
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