As the Oct. 1 opening date approaches for the Affordable Care Act’s (“Obamacare”) online marketplaces, outreach campaigns are
beginning to take root and aim at states with the largest uninsured populations
, including Ohio and its more than 1.25 million uninsured. But the campaigns have run into a series of problems in the past few months, with many of the issues driven by regulatory changes and opposition from Republican legislators at the state and federal level. So far, none of the state’s “navigators” — the federally financed organizations that will participate in outreach campaigns and help enroll people into marketplaces — have been certified by the Ohio Department of Insurance as they await completion of 20-hour federal training courses. Meanwhile, some organizations have been shut out of the process entirely, including Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, because of regulations enacted by state Republicans.Strategies to End Homelessness yesterday
released its first annual progress report
detailing how the organization intends to reduce homelessness in Hamilton County by half from 2012 to 2017. The main strategies, according to the report: prevention, rapid rehousing that lasts six to 12 months, transitional housing for up to 24 months and permanent supportive housing that targets the chronically homeless and disabled. The goal is to reduce homelessness by using supportive services to get to the root of the issue, whether it’s joblessness, mental health problems or other causes, and ensure shelter services aren’t necessary in the first place.found Ohio school performance is strongly tied to student poverty
. Damon Asbury of the Ohio School Boards Association says the results shouldn’t make excuse for low-performing schools, but he claims there are other factors the state government should consider when grading schools, including whether low-performing schools actually need more, not less, funding to make up for a lack of resources. Greg Lawson of the conservative Buckeye Institute seems to agree, but he says his organization, which supports school choice and vouchers, will soon release a study showing no correlation between state and local funding and student performance.CityBeat commentaries:
• “Republican Prudes Hold Down Ohio’s Economy.”
•
“Poor Jenny, Poor Cincinnati.”
The Cincinnati Enquirer yesterday held its endorsement interviews with mayoral candidates Roxanne Qualls and John Cranley, with some of the highlights posted
here
. Also, check out CityBeat ’s previous Q&A’s with the candidates:Qualls
andCranley
.Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine says the state’s Identity Theft Unit has
received 600 complaints and helped adjust $250,000 in disputed charges
since its creation last year.Libertarian Charlie Earl yesterday
announced he’ll run in the 2014 gubernatorial race
. Earl served in the Ohio House from 1981 to 1984 and ran unsuccessfully for secretary of state in 2010.getting a $2.75 million federal grant
to expand the school’s manufacturing program in the region.
Cincinnati Children’s is testing a new bird flu vaccine
.The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
received the Auditor of State Award with Distinction
for a clean audit report.
A new study suggests people act more selfishly when interacting with wide-faced men
.
