Ohio Consumers for Health Coverage

In June 2007 the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation issued a Call for Proposals challenging advocacy groups throughout the country to work together within their states to coalesce around a single applicant and devise a plan for significantly expanding coverage and strengthening the advocacy capacity within the state.

UHCAN Ohio picked up the challenge in Ohio and worked with a 14 member leadership team to craft a proposal that we believe will move health care reform work significantly forward in Ohio.

Early conveners include AARP, American Cancer Society (Ohio Division), Legal Aid of Southwest Ohio, Toledo Area Jobs with Justice, Ohio Council of Churches, National Alliance for Mental Illness (Ohio), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Organize!Ohio, Ohio ACORN, UHCAN Ohio, WeBelieveOhio, Cerebral Palsy Association of Ohio, Neighborhood Family Practice, Faith Community Alliance of Greater Cincinnati.

Click here to see Ohio Consumers for Health Coverage principles and key strategies for health care reform.

The need for such a statewide consumer network is so apparent, and the commitment of partners is so strong, that we are moving forward even without the guarantee of RWJF funding. The proposal was submitted September 17, 2007, and the leadership team had its first “post-submission” meeting on October 2, 2007. We are calling ourselves the Ohio Consumers for Health Coverage, and are creating materials for an educational campaign on health care reform in key areas of Ohio. The coalition is founded upon the Institute of Medicine principles stated in Insuring America’s Health: Principles and Recommendations, Institute of Medicine, 2004.

We are building on the work we have done in Southwest Ohio in Butler, Clermont and Hamilton Counties. An initial meeting of the Southwest Ohio Coalition for Affordable Health Care was held on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 at 9:30 at the First United Church of Christ, 5808 Glenview Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio (College Hill).

Ohio Consumers for Health Coverage Endorsing Organizations

State Organizations:
• AARP Ohio
• ACORN
• AFSCME Ohio Council 8
• American Cancer Society
• Cerebral Palsy Association of Ohio
• Children’s Defense Fund Ohio
• Hunger Network in Ohio
• League of Women Voters of Ohio
• NAMI Ohio
• Ohio Academy of Family Physicians
• Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans
• Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities
• Ohio Association of Free Clinics
• Ohio Association of Second Harvest Food Banks
• Ohio Citizen Advocates for Chemical Dependency Prevention & Treatment
• Ohio Council of Churches
• Ohio Council of Healthcare Providers
• Ohio Empowerment Coalition
• ORGANIZE Ohio
• SEIU District 1199
• UHCAN Ohio
• Union for Reform Judaism/Northeast Lakes Council
• Voices for Ohio’s Children
• We Believe Ohio

Local Organizations:
• Aids Taskforce of Greater Cleveland
• Butler County Community Health Consortium
• Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development (COAD)
• Contact Center
• Faith Community Alliance of Greater Cincinnati
• Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless
• Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio
• Linking Employment Abilities & Potential (LEAP)
• Merrick House Settlement-Cleveland
• Toledo Area Jobs with Justice Coalition
• Toledo Area Ministries
• United Way of Greater Cincinnati
• May Dugan Multi Service Center-Cleveland

Click here for OCHC endorsement form.

New!Click here to read our Regional Newsletters.

Click here for questions about OCHC.

Return to UHCAN Ohio home page.