Dem gov candidate Pillich wants to let general public enroll in Medicaid

As other health-care choices dwindle, one candidate for governor is proposing a public option for Ohio.

Former state Rep. Connie Pillich wants to allow Ohioans to buy into Medicaid or into the state-employee health plan.

Pillich, a Democrat from Montgomery near Cincinnati, said she is making her proposal in response to the falling number of private insurers on the Ohio insurance exchange created as part of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

Insurance giant Anthem announced earlier this month that it would pull out of the Ohio exchange in 2018, citing uncertainties over federal regulations as part of the reason. That will leave 18 counties with no private insurers available to those who buy on the individual market.

Read more: http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170622/dem-gov-candidate-pillich-wants-to-let-general-public-enroll-in-medicaid