{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20131213203454/http://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/sen-brown-alerts-ohioans-that-enrollment-starts-today-for-expanded-medicaid-under-health-law", "Sen. Brown Alerts Ohioans that Enrollment Starts Today for Expanded Medicaid Under Health Law", "2013-12-09", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "OH", "Sherrod Brown", "B000944", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "More than 300,000 Ohioans Will Now Have Access to Health Insurance, See Doctor for Preventive Care Rather than Costly Emergency Room Visits\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tMonday, December 9, 2013\n            \n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) alerted Ohioans that enrollment has begun for the state\u2019s expanded Medicaid program through the health law.\u00a0Because of the expansion, more than 300,000 Ohioans will now be eligible for health insurance beginning January 1, 2014. In October, Brown applauded Ohio\u2019s decision to become the 25th state to expand Medicaid under the new health law. \u00a0\n\u201cFor those who were not previously eligible for Medicaid, now is the time to apply for coverage.\u201d Brown said. \u201cThis means that Ohioans will be able to seek care with a doctor, rather than wait for a costly emergency room visit. Because of the health law, hundreds of thousands of Ohio adults will have access to health insurance, many for the first time. This is just one more example of the ways the health law has benefitted millions of Ohioans.\u201d\nCurrently, Ohio Medicaid does not provide coverage for adults\u2014regardless of income\u2014who do not have disabilities or dependent children. Because of the health law, Ohio will expand Medicaid to those with incomes of up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, which is $15,856 for an individual or $32,499 for a family of four. Enrollment begins today and benefits could be received as early as next month for those who qualify. Ohio will receive more than $2.5 billion in federal aid to help cover the expansion over the next two years. Having fewer uninsured patients will allow providers to breathe easier, as there will be fewer unpaid medical bills from lower income patients who cannot afford to pay.\nThe health law has already protected millions of Ohioans by ending lifetime caps on insurance coverage, covering children with pre-existing conditions, allowing young adults to stay on their parents\u2019 insurance until their 26th birthday, offering free preventive care in new private insurance plans, closing the \u201cdonut hole\u201d in drug prices for seniors, and providing tax credits to small businesses to help them afford health coverage for their employees. Beginning January 1, 2014, insurance companies also can no longer discriminate against individuals with pre-existing conditions by denying them coverage or charging them exorbitant prices, benefiting the millions of Ohioans with pre-existing conditions.\nMore than 916,000 Ohioans are eligible to receive financial help in order to secure affordable and accessible health coverage through the health care marketplace. Brown, who declined Congressional health insurance for nearly two decades\u2014keeping a 1992 campaign promise to decline a health plan until similar coverage is available to all Americans\u2014recently entered the marketplace during the six month enrollment period that started on October 1.\nTo find out if you are eligible for Medicaid benefits and to submit an application, individuals can visit http://benefits.ohio.gov/.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20131213203454/http://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/sen-brown-alerts-ohioans-that-enrollment-starts-today-for-expanded-medicaid-under-health-law"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5504509210586548, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}