Reflections on a Productive, Rewarding Year

As 2025 winds down, I’ve been thinking a lot about everything this year brought our way. It was busy, fast-moving and, at times, pretty intense. But it also was very productive and very rewarding. What stood out most to me was how much we were able to accomplish by staying focused on our mission — improving access to quality, affordable healthcare coverage for all Ohioans — and the pillars that guide it, including strategic planning, advocacy, collaboration and communication.

The Budget Took Center Stage, and We Showed Up Ready

Every odd-numbered year starts the same way for us: with the state budget. And this year’s budget process demanded a lot from everyone. We went through all 3,100+ pages of the bill to understand what helped our mission and what didn’t. We successfully pushed for proactive changes, such as better alignment on provider payments and the elimination of facility fees, and we also worked hard to fix or remove things that would have raised costs or made health insurance coverage harder to get.

One of the biggest developments in the budget was trigger language tied to Medicaid expansion. If the federal match rate ever dropped below 90%, more than 770,000 Ohioans who receive benefits through Medicaid expansion would have lost their coverage. That wasn’t something we could take lightly, and it sparked the formation of Ohio Medicaid Matters, a coalition that grew to more than 100 organizations that worked together to protect Medicaid expansion in Ohio.

While we didn’t get the trigger language removed from the budget bill, I still see the coalition as a major success. It brought together divergent voices, and it built a strong foundation for future advocacy around Medicaid access. And fortunately, because the federal government kept its 90% match, the harmful trigger language did not go into effect.

Of course, the budget wasn’t the only thing happening. We testified or submitted testimony on dozens of bills this year that would impact OAHP members, and we had regular conversations with policymakers, sometimes daily. Advocacy is core to our work on behalf of member health plans, and this year was a good example of why it matters.

Health Plans Continued Working Together in Ways That Really Matter

Once again, Ohio’s health plans demonstrated how powerful collaboration can be. Ohio is one of the only states where managed care organizations consistently choose to work together on big issues even though they compete in the marketplace.

We saw that again this year with community reinvestment, when all eight Medicaid plans came together to support community-based organizations in some of the state’s most in-need areas. The plans stayed aligned, stayed engaged with community partners and stayed committed to making this collective impact model work. We look forward to rolling out the 2025 iteration of the community reinvestment plan in the next few months.

The same is true for the Quality Withhold Program. It’s complicated, technical and involves a tremendous amount of work from the plans. But the plans showed up, with OAHP supporting the effort as a central connector. That collaboration helped drive progress in areas Gov. DeWine has prioritized, especially around behavioral health, infant and maternal health, and children’s services.

We also spent a huge amount of time helping the four Next Generation MyCare plans get ready for the launch, which begins January 1 and rolls out across Ohio throughout 2026. Our team has devoted countless hours making sure the plans, the Area Agencies on Aging and others involved in this initiative are aligned so people can transition smoothly to Next Generation MyCare.

On the commercial side, we worked closely with the business community — NFIB, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, employers and others — on legislative mandates, affordability issues and other areas of common interest. We also continued representing and advocating for our health plans at ongoing meetings with the Ohio Department of Insurance and behavioral health providers aimed at ensuring mental health parity is met by Ohio’s commercial health plans.

Connecting Through Communication and Engagement

As always, communication plays a big role in how we advocate and collaborate. Throughout 2025, we stayed focused on making sure health plans, partners, policymakers and the public had clear, timely information on issues relevant to them. Our newsletters, blogs, white papers, legislative briefs and social content helped explain complex topics, highlight innovation, and reinforce OAHP and its member plans as recognized experts in quality and affordable healthcare.

We brought people together in person this year. Our Member Forum & Legislative Reception in April created space for real dialogue between health plans, supporting and affiliate members, and lawmakers. And our Annual Convention & Trade Show in September broke attendance and revenue records. Yes, it’s our biggest event of the year, but it’s also a major way we build relationships, share ideas and strengthen the association for the long term.

In addition to hosting our own events, we also spent time at events held by other organizations in Ohio and across the country, including AHIP, MHPA, HMA and the Ohio Council of Behavioral Health and Family Service Providers. It was a particular honor to be invited as panelists at the MHPA and HMA events, showcasing the work of OAHP and member health plans for peers from other states. Attendance at and participation in these types of gatherings help us spread the word about work happening here in Ohio and understand what’s happening nationally.

Looking Ahead to 2026

Next year will look a little different. Without a budget underway, much of our advocacy efforts will shift to individual bills. We’ll continue working closely with the DeWine administration on its major priority areas — kids, behavioral health, and maternal and infant health — and make sure we see those efforts through. And, of course, the launch of Next Gen MyCare will be front and center in our work throughout the year.

None of this happens without the people around us: our member plans, our partners, our board, legislators, state agencies and our incredible OAHP team. I’m grateful for your support, your expertise and your collaboration throughout the year.

Here’s to a productive and mission-focused 2026 and some well-earned rest as we close out 2025.