MasonBuzz.com

Cliff Peale reports:

Nearly 1,000 employees on the Mason City Schools health plan will see that change March 1 as the district abandons the controversial TrueCost plan.

After a meeting Thursday evening with leaders of the Mason Education Association teachers’ union, the district agreed to go back to last year’s more traditional plan through HealthSpan, union leaders said.

Teachers had filed grievances after having trouble getting care because of TrueCost, which Mason schools imposed starting Jan. 1.

The plan sets payment at Medicare rates plus 40 percent. It has sparked a standoff between hospitals, who say they didn’t negotiate the payments and won’t honor the plan, and employers desperate to tamp down their own health care costs.

• Insurance plan pits hospitals vs. insurers

“It clearly did not work,” said Karrie Strickland, president of the union that represents 640 teachers. “Now our health care is back. We’ll be able to have access to care and medications and the things that our members need. We feel like this getting our contract back as well.”

Mason officials said employee health care is about 15 percent of the district’s budget, or about $15 million a year.

“We think the TrueCost health plan is an innovative idea whose time has come, but were disappointed with how the process played out with area providers,” Superintendent Gail Kist-Kline said in a statement this morning.

(more…)

Posted in: News, Schools |

Tags: Tags: health care, insurance, mason schools, teachers union, truecost

Ohio Gov. John Kasich delivers his State of the State address at Veterans Memorial Civic and Convention Center in Lima, Ohio, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. (AP Photo/Rick Osentoski) / AP

Paul E. Kostyu reports:

Gov. John Kasich used his State of the State speech Tuesday night to plead with members of the Legislature – including skeptical members of his own party – to expand Medicaid to provide health coverage to more poor Ohioans.

“This is an unprecedented opportunity to bring $13 billion back to Ohio to fix our problems,” Kasich said. “It makes sense to bring this money home. It’s health coverage for the poor, a great number of them the working poor. What are you going to do, leave them out on the street? Are you going to leave them under bridges?”

In this third State of the State speech, the governor took a more serious tone than usual. . Absent were the numerous ad-libs and shout-outs to people in the audience, though there were a few. Last year, for example, he mentioned Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee 13 times. This year Ohio State didn’t get a single mention.

Testing what is sure to be the outline of his campaign speech when he seeks re-election in 2014, Kasich hit general high points of the past two years in the 60-minute address at the Veterans Memorial Civic & Convention Center here. The evening speech marked the second time Kasich has taken it outside its traditional home at the Ohio statehouse in Columbus. Last year, Kasich gave the address in Steubenville.

He got a cool reception when he talked about Medicaid. And the 1,600 people who attended the governor’s annual State of the State address here were silent when the governor talked about raising taxes on companies that extract oil and natural gas from under Ohio.

(more…)

Posted in: News, Ohio |

Tags: Tags: economy, health care, John Kasich, medicaid, ohio

Cliff Peale reports:

Mason City Schools will abandon the controversial TrueCost health plan after several grievances by teachers.

• Insurance plan pits hospitals vs. insurers

The union representing teachers has filed a grievance over the plan, which the district imposed starting Jan. 1.

It pays Medicare rates plus 40 percent. Hospitals have said they will not accept it, prompting a standoff with employers desperate to limit their health-care costs.

Several teachers said they were denied treatment, and others would have faced huge medical bills as hospitals billed them for the difference.

Mason City Schools officials said they would go back to last year’s plan, a traditional design negotiated with insurers.

Posted in: Schools |

Tags: Tags: health care, insurance, mason schools, teachers union, truecost

Lisa Bernard-Kuhn reports:

Countless health care groups and non-profits applauded Gov. John Kasich’s decision Monday to expand Medicaid coverage to hundreds of thousands low-income Ohioans under his proposed two-year state budget.

The move positions Ohio among a growing contingent of Republican-led states that are leaning toward extending coverage, an option given to states under the federal Affordable Care Act, the law dubbed Obamacare and opposed by most GOP officials.

• Interactive: For or against Kasich’s budget
• Documents: Kasich budget proposals
• You said: #kasich in one word

The proposal will now be up to Ohio’s legislature to decide. That means Kasich will have to get to work converting members of his own party in order to bring $13 billion in federal funds to the state and extend coverage to at least 275,000 additional low-income Ohioans.

“I am not a supporter of Obamacare,” Kasich said Monday, “but I think (Medicaid expansion) makes great sense for the state because it will allow us to deliver care using our dollars for people who, up until now, haven’t been able to afford (healthcare insurance) through their job, or they were not able to find a job.”

About 2.2 million Ohioans currently have Medicaid coverage.

Kasich estimated that at least 275,000 more Ohioans would be eligible under the expanded program. But other estimates show as many as 600,000 Ohioans could be eligible.

Another 300,000 Ohioans are expected to fall into a category officials call the “woodwork effect”: People who are currently eligible but not enrolled and expected to sign up in the coming years. The federal government would not be on the hook for covering the costs those individuals, officials have said.

(more…)

Posted in: News, Ohio |

Tags: Tags: affordable care act, budget, coverage, expansion, health care, John Kasich, medicaid, obamacare, ohio

Gov. John Kasich says that Ohio will let the federal government run its health care exchange. / AP file photo

Cliff Peale reports:

Posted in: Government, News |

Tags: Tags: affordable care act, exchange, health care, John Kasich, kasich, medicaid, obamacare, ohio

Carl Weiser reports:

Remember the Chick-fil-A appreciation day?  Thousands of people here in Greater Cincinnati, as well as nationally, lined up to show support for the chain’s CEO, who said he opposed same sex marriage.   The comments drew criticism from supporters of same-sex marriage who organized boycotts and a kiss-in.

Now Papa John’s finds itself in same situation – reviled and targeted for boycott by some, and the target of an “appreciation day” on Friday by others.

The Facebook page organizing the appreciation day was launched after Papa John’s CEO said he would cut employee hours as a result of the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare.

“There are over 2,600 Papa John’s stores in the United States. Let’s flood all of them like we flooded Chick-Fil-A,” writes the organizer, Justen Charters, who identifies himself as a founder of a group called Rebooting America.

There’s one Papa John’s location in Mason at 5612 Tylersville Road.

What do you think?

Posted in: Events |

Tags: Tags: affordable care act, appreciation day, boycott, chick-fil-a, employment, facebook, health care, health insurance, justen charters, obama care, papa john's, rebooting america

Gov. John Kasich hasn’t yet announced a decision about how Ohio will comply with the Affordable Care Act. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber.

Must pick method to implement next step of Obamacare

Cliff Peale and Barry M. Horstman reports:

Ohio is trying to retain some control of a health care exchange mandated by the Affordable Care Act, even as it probably will default operations to the federal government.

Even with a federal-run exchange, state control could include certifying health plans that participate and determining Medicaid eligibility.

Meant to provide affordable policies to those without insurance, the exchanges are a key part of President Barack Obama’s health care reform law. They are one of the latest flashpoints in implementing the law.

States have until Friday to declare if they will operate their own health care exchange. They also can default to a federally run exchange or choose a hybrid model, with deadlines later in those cases.

Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, hasn’t announced a decision, but it appears unlikely that Ohio will operate the exchange itself.

Kentucky, with a Democratic governor, has moved aggressively toward its own state exchange, using about $66 million in federal grants to create and implement the marketplace. Indiana, with Republican leadership, is expected to default to the feds.

With Obama’s re-election Nov. 6, the law colloquially known as “Obamacare” will remain in place, but setting up the exchanges is among dozens of steps before it is fully implemented in 2014.

“We now know what the playing field is,” said Robyn Chatman, a primary care doctor and president of the Academy of Medicine of Cincinnati. “For those who don’t like it, at least they know what to expect.”

Decisions on how to implement the ACA will impact millions of Ohioans. (more…)

Posted in: Government, News |

Tags: Tags: affordable care act, exchange, gene beupre, health care, John Kasich, kasich, medicaid, obamacare, ohio

EMerge Health Solutions, a six-year-old medical documentation company, is expanding into new headquarters in Mason.

The company, which grew out of a gastroenterology practice in Avondale and had been operating out of the Mason Municipal Center, announced its relocation this week to larger office space along I-71 at 7264 Columbia Road.

The move allows eMerge to accommodate growing demand for its for its high-tech medical records system and growing workforce, company officials said.

The company’s hands-free documentation and workflow solutions for the healthcare industry allows physicians and nurses to document procedures in real time by utilizing keyword-driven voice commands. The system is designed to eliminate paperwork and increase productivity.

“We chose this new space to accommodate the increasing demand for our solution and our rapid company growth,” said Trent McCracken, the company’s president and CEO.

EMerge relocated its headquarters from Avondale to Mason earlier this year after receiving a $250,000 investment from CincyTech, the downtown-based public/private venture fund.

The money is part of $850,000 raised from investors as the company moves toward broader commercialization.

After five months, the company outgrew its office space at the Mason Municipal Center and will now occupy space vacated by AssureRX, another Mason company that recently expanded into larger office space in Mason.

The move is the latest in a string of high-profile development deals in Mason including Seapine Software’s new $7 million technical center on Western Row Road, and headquarters expansions by Top Gun Sales Performance, AssureRx Health Inc., Rhinestahl Corp. and Intelligrated.

“The way our leadership team understands the dynamic needs of high-tech, entrepreneurial firms has given companies like eMerge Health the opportunity to grow and expand, bringing more jobs to Mason and propelling our city to a new level of business attraction and retention,” said Mason Mayor David Nichols.

The rise of the tech and bio-health industry in Mason has a “multiplier effect” on the city’s ability to accomplish other economic strategies, added Michele Blair, Mason’s director of economic development.

“The intent is gaining this critical mass in the high-technology and bio-health industries that brings momentum in additional emerging companies’ interest and greater workforce availability in science and technology fields,” she said.

The company, which employs 11, expects to expand its workforce to fill the new space, McCracken said.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: biohealth, business, cincytech, city of mason, david nichols, emerge health solutions, expanding, expansion, hands-free, health care, mason, medical records, michele blair, science, technology, trent mccracken, voice-activated, workflow solutions

AssureRx Health Inc. in Mason is bursting at the seams and looking to triple its office space by the end of the year, says chief executive officer James S. Burns.

The Enquirer’s Mike Boyer has the details:

The 4-year-old biotech company now leases about 3,500 square feet in an office building in the Columbia Commons business park off Interstate 71.

But the company, which started the year with 13 employees, expects to have just over 40 on staff by year end as it continues to roll out its GeneSightRx test kit, designed to help psychiatrists find the right drug for patients requiring antidepressant or antipsychotic treatment.

“Right now we have people almost sitting on top of each other,” Burns said Thursday.

The company, which secured $11 million in funding from two nationally known venture capital firms earlier this year, hopes to find space in the business park or nearby, he said.

Burns said the response from the psychiatric community has been better than expected to AssureRx’s technology, which uses a cheek swap from the patient to help doctors determine how the patient might respond to specific medications based on his or her genes.

Sales were forecast to top $4 million this year and hit $25 million in three years, but Burns said the company is ahead of expectations.

The company plans to introduce two new products in development in the first half of next year and pursue another round of venture funding in the second half of 2012.

The company’s technology was initially developed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. The company also received key support from local investors including CincyTech and the state of Ohio, which made a $1.2 million development loan to the company last year.

AssureRx recently hired three executives to flesh out its seven-member senior staff.

The new executives are: C. Anthony Altar, an expert in genetic drug therapy, senior vice president and chief science officer; Karen E. Schellin, former vice president of operations at EyeMed Vision Care, vice president of finance, and Alexander H. Burgess, who has extensive experience in social media marketing, as vice president of marketing.

Posted in: Business, News |

Tags: Tags: alexander burgess, assurerx health inc, biotech, business, c. anthony altar, cincinnati children's hospital medical center, cincytech, columbia commons, eyemed, health care, james s. burns, karen schellin, mason, medication, pharmaceutical

Skilled Care Pharmacy, a Mason-based provider of medication needs for residents in extended care communities, will hold an open house from 5 – 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1.

The free event will be held at the company’s Mason facility at 6175 Hi-Tek Court.

Founded in 1981, Skill Care Pharmacy provides services to more than 10,000 residents across the Tri-State.

“We can’t express our thanks enough to all of those that believe in us and our services and we hope you join us at the open house,” said company President Larry Galluzzo.

“Skilled Care Pharmacy has come such a long way. It has been a tremendous journey, and we can’t wait to see our growth and progress years down the road.”

RSVPs are encouraged. To register, call 513-459-7455, ext. 3500, or email asd@skilledcare.com.

Posted in: Community, Events |

Tags: Tags: business, extended care communities, health, health care, larry galluzzo, mason, medication, nursing homes, open house, pharmacy, senior citizens, skilled care pharmacy