A person’s freedom to live a healthy life shouldn’t depend on their race or gender. However, Ohio legislators have a history of making it harder for Black women in our state to access health care and improve health outcomes. One recent example: The legislature said no to a state budget
Funding for Ohio’s childcare system is complicated, even to the most seasoned advocates. It became even more so in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-25 budget, when House Bill 33[1] created a new Department of Children and Youth (DCY), changing federal and state funding streams for Publicly Funded Child Care (PFCC) and
A Note from our Budget Researcher We say that the budget is a moral document, but what does that mean for Ohioans? There’s no better example of the budget as a moral document in Ohio than our public library system. Growing up, one of my favorite places in the whole
[To jump to our full report, click here.] Department of Education & Workforce Department of Higher Education Department of Children and Youth Department of Job and Family Services Department of Youth Services Department of Commerce Department of Medicaid Department of Health Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Department of
*We’re updating this guide as the 2026-27 budget moves through the legislative process. Links and other info were last updated on Feb. 12, 2025. The money in Ohio’s budget belongs to all of us, and every Ohioan should have a voice in how we spend it. But budget language, documents,
This piece is part of a series on bioethics issues in health and medicine. Involuntary commitment (IC) — also called “civil commitment” — is a legal process for a court to order a person into treatment for their mental illness or substance use disorder. This treatment can be in a hospital
Insulin is one of the best modern-day examples of just how broken the American health care system is and the consequences of that systemic failure for patients and families. Insulin is the primary treatment for diabetes, which has been diagnosed in nearly a million Ohio adults — about one in
The data in this report are out-of-date. Click here for an updated version. Childcare should be a top priority for Ohio policymakers. A recent poll[1] found that for Gen-Z and millennial workers, childcare benefits are ranked more important than even health insurance benefits in the workplace. Childcare is vital to
The federal government — which provides three of every four dollars in Ohio’s public child care system — has recognized that providers need more resources and is mandating that all states increase base reimbursement rates to at least the 50th percentile. Following thousands of child care program closures since the
Family Child Care (FCC) providers and child care centers serve foundational roles in their communities but are once again being asked to provide more for less. The Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) have proposed a rule that would
The proposed draft rules published by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) 3701-3-17[1] outline extreme reporting requirements for physicians providing gender affirming care that will make data misreporting likely and overcomplicate providing safe, best practice medical care for adults[2]. Most importantly, the data tracking requirements presented are purposefully malicious and
Ohio needs to do better when it comes to child care
This piece originally appeared in Crain’s Cleveland Business as part of a forum on child care. Links to other pieces in the forum are available below. High-quality child care doesn’t just lay the groundwork for kids to have a better future; it’s part of Ohio’s economic foundation in the present.