Health Care and the State Budget There are many interest groups competing for financial resources during the state budget process. How these resources are allocated to fund health care programs, particularly Ohio Medicaid, is a top priority for OHA. To achieve our goal of strengthening and healing Ohio communities, OHA advocates for state budget solutions that provide sufficient reimbursement for hospitals while protecting access to health care.
Timeline The 2022-2023 state budget process began when state agencies submitted their budget requests to Ohio’s Office of Budget and Management in fall 2020. Taking into consideration these budget requests, Gov. Mike DeWine proposed his executive budget Feb. 1. Over the next several months, the budget bill will make its way through the legislative process. Once the Ohio General Assembly passes Ohio’s biennial state budget, the bill heads back to the governor for final approval. The governor may exercise his veto power to disapprove of a specific item or items in the bill without vetoing the entire legislation. The line-item veto authority is limited to spending bills and only allows a governor to remove items from a bill, but not to add any items or language. Unlike the federal budget, Ohio’s Constitution requires the state to have a balanced budget. This prevents the state from deficit spending. Ohio’s biennial state budget typically is enacted by July 1 of every odd-numbered year. For example, Ohio’s 2022-2023 biennial state budget is likely to be enacted June 30, 2021 and will run from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2023.