Welcome to the New OAHP.org
By Kelly O’Reilly, President and CEO, Ohio Association of Health Plans
Welcome to OAHP’s rebranded and refreshed website! We are excited to provide our members, policy makers and other stakeholders with a new and more useful tool to better understand Ohio’s health insurance industry and its positions on areas of policy that impact the quality and affordability of healthcare in this state.
Those of us who work in Ohio’s health insurance industry know that most people don’t think about us much beyond the transactional: What are my out of pocket costs? Did my claim get paid or not? Was it a hassle or a breeze?
For employers who purchase coverage for their employees, the focus generally centers on what this year’s premiums will be.
All of those are extraordinarily important questions. Beyond the transactional however, we think it’s also valuable for Ohioans and Ohio businesses to know the broader impact we make to our communities and across the state. We aren’t just giant claim-processing machines; we are small and large businesses, who are major employers, anchoring local and state economies.
A look at 2021 Ohio specific statistics put out by America’s Health Insurance Plans tells the story of our impact: nearly 20,000 people employed by Ohio’s health plans and more than 37,000 working in jobs related to the insurance industry. Those are good jobs, too, with an average annual wage of $74,600 for health plan employees and $64,000 for those in related jobs — well above the state average.
The total payroll each year for health plan employees is $1.47 billion; for employees in related industries, it’s nearly $2.4 billion.
More than just claims processors, actuaries and customer service representatives, our employees are soccer dads, grandparents, newlyweds, and dance moms — your neighbors.
Through a state tax on health insurance premiums, our products contribute $607 million each year to Ohio’s treasury.
It isn’t just dollars and jobs, however, that the health insurance industry contributes to Ohio communities. Our primary mission isn’t to pay bills; it is to help people and communities live healthier lives.
We do that through programs and policies that incentivize and reward better patient outcomes — fewer trips to the emergency department, fewer readmissions to hospitals, more consistent taking of medications. These things don’t just save health-care dollars; they help patients feel better and live better lives.
These innovations are especially important to the state’s Medicaid program. Of the 3.2 million Ohioans receiving Medicaid, 2.8 million — nearly 88% — are served by a private Medicaid Managed Care plan designed to keep patients as healthy as possible while holding down costs.
Ohio’s health plans contribute to our communities beyond our own businesses. We work with community partners on projects ranging from vaccination clinics and affordable-housing initiatives to bridging the digital divide and reducing infant mortality.
We hope that this first of many posts on the refreshed OAHP website has provided you with a new or expanded understanding of the impact that our members have in your communities and across the state. Please plan to check back often for more original content from the team at OAHP, as well as from our members.