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Ronald McDonald Houses ask senators to keep Medicaid lodging reimbursement in budget
Summary
Representatives of Ronald McDonald House Charities told the Senate Medicaid subcommittee that a Medicaid lodging benefit included in HB 96 helps families stay near pediatric hospitals; they provided usage estimates and asked lawmakers to preserve a $5 million appropriation for lodging assistance.
Rita Cyr, executive director of Ronald McDonald House Charities (testifying on behalf of Ohio's six houses), told the Senate Medicaid subcommittee that Medicaid reimbursement for lodging at Ronald McDonald Houses helps families remain near hospitalized children and requested that a $5 million appropriation to support the lodging benefit remain in the budget.
Cyr said the program is new and onboarding affected the completeness of the first cycle of program data, but even partial data showed that "nearly 2,000 Ohio Medicaid families benefited from accessing lodging at a Ronald McDonald house, amounting to approximately 17,000 nights of care." She estimated that with a full biennium the program could support nearly 4,000 families and more than 34,000 nights.
Cyr asked senators to maintain the $5,000,000 appropriation and noted that under the current FMAP cost‑sharing structure the state's share is roughly 50% of the total cost. "By funding lodging through Medicaid, Ohio is directly improving outcomes for children and their families," Cyr said, adding that lodging allows families to stay close to treatment and helps parents remain rested and present for care.
Committee members thanked Cyr for the testimony; no committee action was taken during the informal hearing. The request will feed into the subcommittee's budget deliberations and the Department of Medicaid has been identified by multiple witnesses as a partner in implementing the lodging benefit.
