LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

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Since 2004

Year: 2024

Loveland Author Jenna Schroeder’s new youth book published by Dolphin Hat Games

POPULAR CARD GAME CHARACTERS COME TO LIFE IN GRAPHIC NOVEL ‘TACO CAT GOAT CHEESE PIZZA AND THE CASE OF THE MISSING HAT’.

Loveland Author Jenna Schroeder

Loveland, Ohio – The beloved characters of an iconic family card game are now coming to life in a new graphic novel. Youth readers and their parents may now learn more of the characters’ individual backstories in “Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza and the Case of the Missing Hat” ($14.99, Dolphin Hat Games, ISBN: 9798219358129), featuring the primary characters of the family game by the same name.

Like the Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza game, with sales topping eight million worldwide, the “Case of the Missing Hat” is for children ages seven and older. Written by Jenna Schroeder, the hardcover book features colorful Manga-style illustrations by Yamerpro, aka Mandy E, who was among the initial illustrators for the game. Schroeder and Yamerpro met through Dolphin Hat Games, collaborating on a book project for the first time.

As the longtime communications director for the family-run Dolphin Hat Games, which created and launched Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza in 2017, Schroeder explained the inspiration for the new work originated after the card game achieved global popularity. Schroeder also had long-term familiarity with the game characters as her brother, Dave Campbell, created the game, which contributed to Dolphin Hat’s growth into a large family business that opened in 2012.

“After championing these game characters for several years, I began to think about what their shared adventures might resemble and how I could make their world come alive for fans to enjoy,” said Schroeder, “Soon after writing my first children’s book, ‘Are Enchanted Forests Real?,’ the story of ‘Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza and the Case of the Missing Hat’ flowed out of me.”

“When I first shared the book concept with Dave, he said he felt strong connections with the personalities created from his characters, and he generously entrusted me with the opportunity to bring them to life,” added Schroeder. “He loved the story, and we both knew it was something that had to be in this world, so we combined our superpowers to create more laughter and smiles on kids’ faces with these funny, happy game heroes.” Schroeder also said that when she would write a scene and how she wanted it to look, Mandy E would amplify it in the best and most comedic ways with her artwork.

“Once Dave greenlit this project, Mandy and I worked together tirelessly and seamlessly for a year to bring it to fruition,” said Schroeder. “Both of us have grown with the characters since their origination, and as I created their personalities and expanded their world, Mandy E was aligned every step of the way.”

Schroeder wrote the book’s cover notes to explain how the fan-favorite characters leaped from cards to the comic-style narrative:

What happens when characters from the infamous card game Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza fall out of the game box and go on an epic adventure? You are about to find out! Join Taco Cat Goat Cheese and Pizza as they attempt to crack the case of the missing hat! Dive into a world of silliness, friendship, and laughter as these endearing characters take you on a knee-slapping story in a world all their own. With positive themes and eye-catching artwork, new and old Taco Cat fans alike will not want this incredible adventure to end!

In step with the book’s initial availability via Amazon and the Dolphin Hat website, Schroder will appear with Campbell for book signings and gameplay at a growing list of autumn events/venues including Snakes & Lattes Chicago, as well as Marvin’s Toy Store in Crystal Lake, Ill.

Other book-related events include a reading hosted by the Brookville Library in Dayton, a booth at the Christmas Tree Lighting Festival in Loveland, Ohio, on Dec. 7 and an appearance to be scheduled at Bike Trail Books in Loveland in February.

ABOUT JENNA SCHROEDER

Based in the Cincinnati suburb of Loveland, Ohio, Jenna Schroeder is a writer, mother of four, and the director of communications for Dolphin Hat Games. Additionally, she is the founder of Little Bird Press and her creative projects include the inspiring children’s book “Are Enchanted Forests Real?” Schroeder also contributed to the 2021 book “Peace in the Presence of God: Devotionals for Women with Anxiety” published by Michael Lacey. She earned a bachelor’s degree in interpersonal communications from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. For more information visit JennaaSchroeder.com or follow her @jennaaschroeder.

ABOUT YAMERPRO (AKA MANDY E)

An Ohio native, Yamerpro aka Mandy E (Mandy Ecenbarger) is a graphic designer, digital illustrator, animation and motion graphics creator and costume designer. She earned a bachelor’s degree in computer art from the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, Ind. For more information visit Yamerpro.com or follow her @yamerpro.

ABOUT DOLPHIN HAT GAMES

Founded in 2012 and based in the Dayton suburb of Clayton, Ohio, Dolphin Hat Games is a family-owned game company focused on creating memorable, fun and easy-to-learn games to capture the imaginations of casual gamers and family members of all ages worldwide. In 2017, they published the bestselling family card game Cat Taco Goat Cheese Pizza, purchased by more than eight million players. For more information visit DolphinHat.com or follow @dolphinhatgames.

December 2, 2024
[TAKE THE POLL] What choice of water filtration have you made to protect from Forever Chemicals in Loveland’s tap water?

Loveland, Ohio – Loveland’s drinking water is contaminated with harmful levels of Forever Chemicals at the highest concentrations in the region. Testing has revealed that Loveland has two “Forever Chemicals” in its drinking water. One, at a level four times higher than what is the enforceable standards of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This is the highest reported level in the Cincinnati area. The US EPA has acknowledged that no levels of PFAS are safe without the risk of negative health impacts.

The City simultaneously told the Clermont County Common Pleas Court and a U.S District Court in South Carolina in June of 2023:

“PFOA and PFOS are toxic and persistent in the environment, do not biodegrade, move readily through soil and water, and pose a significant risk to human health and safety and the environment.”

(Select More Than One Answer)

[poll id=”16″]

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agancy says to look for products identified as certified to NSF International’s Standard P473. Products tested and certified by the Water Quality Association can be found here: https://www.wqa.org/find-products#/. (Source OEPA)

BACKGROUND:

BREAKING: Loveland now faces sanctions unless Forever Chemicals are removed from drinking water

What the Ohio EPA says about protection from forever chemicals

The City’s current statement about PFAS & Drinking Water

December 1, 2024
3rd annual Frogman Festival returns in March

Loveland Magazine Managing Editor David Miller at last year’s Loveland Frogman Festival

Loveland, Ohio – The 3rd annual Frogman Festival will be held on Saturday, March 1, 2025 from (9:30 AM until 6 PM and Sunday, March 2 from 10 AM until 4 PM at Oasis Conference Center.

There will be over 60 unique vendors selling their art, crafts and merchandise in the large ballroom they will call “The Terrarium”. Speakers will be presenting their research on cryptids, paranormal activity, UFO’s and other unusual topics in a separate room.

The Loveland Frog, Jeff Craig, and Andy the Pied Piper of Loveland.

At noon each day, the Pied Piper of Loveland will lead a parade of costumed participants that is open to anyone interested.

Wander the Oasis to find face-painting, an intuitive reader, live animals, a puppet show, music and more. Food and drink including beer will be available a la carte.

Visit frogmanfestival.org for more details. Ticket prices online are lower than paying at the door. There are no refunds for tickets purchased. Kids 12 and under are free when accompanied by a paid adult but please order a kids ticket (free) for them.

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Read about and watch the videos from last year’s Festival:

Was the Loveland Frogman Festival fact, fiction or fantasy?

Frogman Hotel Block

Just like last year, we can offer Discounted Rooms for Frogman Attendees. Take advantage of this offer to stay at the closest hotel to the convention center.

November 30, 2024
Ohio lawmakers working to advance local infrastructure bond issue during lame duck session

By: Nick Evans – Ohio Capital Journal

If all goes to plan, lawmakers will be asking Ohio voters next May to renew a multibillion-dollar fund that helps get shovels in the ground for local public works projects like roads and sewers. The State Capital Improvement Program has been around since the late 1980s and offers competitive grants and loans for local governments’ capital projects; money for the program comes from bonds backed by the general revenue fund.

The proposal would extend the State Capital Improvement Program for another 10 years by issuing $2.5 billion in new bonds. Voters have renewed the program three times previously in 1995, 2005, and 2014.

The Senate has already passed its version of the joint resolution to place the measure on the ballot. The House Finance Committee held its first hearing for a companion measure this week.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.

What the program funds

To get a sense of scale, Ohio Public Works Commission director Linda Bailiff laid out the scope of physical infrastructure the program helps maintain.

“I think it’s over 212,000 lane miles that counties townships and municipalities are responsible for,” she said. “There’s 29,000 bridges, there’s 4,400 public water systems, and 1,000 wastewater systems.”

“And so all of those need attention,” she explained. “Our funds pay for repair, replacement, reconstruction, rehabilitation as well as new (builds) and expansion.”

Since its inception the State Capital Improvement Program has funded 18,860 projects around Ohio.

In the Public Works Commission’s latest report, the agency highlights some of the projects. They range from overhauling a major thoroughfare in Columbus or replacing a bridge in Lorain County to improving sidewalks and curb ramps in the village of Willard.

The Commission also shares a spreadsheet of the 4,000-plus projects the program has supported since 2017. Over that stretch, the program has provided $2.3 billion — $1.5 billion of which came in the form of grants — in support of $5.2 billion-worth of infrastructure improvements around Ohio.

Mahoning County Engineer, and president of the County Engineers Association of Ohio, Patrick Ginnetti was unequivocal in his praise of the program.

“I will say, in my opinion, this is the most successful program the state of Ohio has,” he said.

How it works

Under the program, Ohio is split up by county into 19 districts. The most populous counties are their own districts, and in more sparsely populated regions several counties are lumped together. To get funding, local governments submit proposals within their district which are then scored based on a district-specific set of categories.

“Namely health and safety, the priority needs of that particular district, financial considerations, readiness to proceed, the age and condition of the infrastructure,” Bailiff offered as examples.

Every year district level officials rank their proposals and submit funding recommendations to the Ohio Public Works Commission.

“As long as everything complies with statute,” Bailiff said, “we go ahead and prepare funding agreements that are released about July 1 each year.”

Grant applications can get up to 90% of the project cost covered, so local entities still need to pony up a share of funding. Loans can cover the full project cost, and they’re offered interest free.

Bailiff adds that they’ve got a couple of state-level set aside programs, too. One earmarks $20 million annually for rural villages and townships with a population of less than 5,000. After districts have doled out their award recommendations, they go back through the projects that didn’t get the nod.

“They select up to five projects that did not get funded at the district, that fit that definition of the village or the rural township,” she explained. “And they submit them to the small government administrator to compete on a statewide basis, so they have a second shot at funding.”

The Public Works Commission also has a first come first serve program for emergency work.

How it’s working out

Ginnetti explained his office, like the offices of county engineers around the state, gets its funding from gas taxes.

“With the inception of electric cars, hybrids, CNG vehicles, gas tax has been relatively stagnant,” he said, “so our budgets have been stagnant,”

Ginnetti described the State Capital Improvement Program as a way to “stretch” that budget, and he pointed to his county’s sewer system as an example.

“We’ll utilize the grant funding and also the revolving loan fund to do what is known as sewer re-lining,” he said. “It’s a nondestructive way to give us additional useful life out of our existing gravity sewer.”

“Again, where costs are a certain dollar amount,” he explained, “it helps minimize the impact to our operating budget.”

In the last two years, he said, they’ve paved 25 miles of road, replaced five box culverts and relined 15,000 linear feet of sanitary sewer pipes.

“And it’s a competitive program,” he stressed, “so it’s not like communities are just given a blank check and they say go do what you want.”

Put simply, he described, “good projects get funded; projects that may not be as urgent or as critical do not.”

Ginnetti said his county also got assistance from the emergency funding program after a road subsidence.

“Had the emergency program not been there,” he said, “that would’ve resulted in a road closure — a lengthy road closure — and we probably would’ve had to sacrifice a paving program or several bridges or box culverts to get the road fixed.”

“It’s basically life support,” he added, “for all of the municipalities, townships, county government in Ohio to get work done that we wouldn’t be able to do solely on our operating budget.”

Follow OCJ Reporter Nick Evans on Twitter.

YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.

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Nick Evans

Nick Evans has spent the past seven years reporting for NPR member stations in Florida and Ohio. He got his start in Tallahassee, covering issues like redistricting, same sex marriage and medical marijuana. Since arriving in Columbus in 2018, he has covered everything from city council to football. His work on Ohio politics and local policing have been featured numerous times on NPR.

Ohio Capital Journal is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

MORE FROM AUTHOR

November 30, 2024
Former Loveland Educator Ronald Glenn DeWitt passes at the age of 91

Ron began his career in education at Loveland City Schools as a teacher and coach. Ron eventually went on to become an Elementary School Principal, High School Principal and Superintendent.

Official Obituary

Ronald Glenn DeWitt of Loveland, Ohio, passed away Sunday, November 24, 2024, at the age of 91.

Ron’s life began on September 29, 1933. He is the son of the late Norville and Ethel (Williams) DeWitt. Ron was a graduate of Deer Park High School (class of 1951) and a graduate of Miami University (class of 1955). Ron was a participant in high school sports including basketball and football, participated in choir, and was also a member of the Tune Toppers, a big band playing music of the swing era.

Ron was a proud U.S. Air Force Veteran, serving his country from 1955 – 1957. Beginning with flight training at Moultrie, Georgia, he then graduated from Webb Air Force Base in Big Spring, Texas with Class 57-C learning to fly the T-33. While at Webb Air Force Base, Ron was a member of the Webb Carolers, an award-winning singing group originating at the base. He went on to Perin Air Force Base, Sherman, Texas, to advanced training in the F-86D. He was then assigned to the 41st FIS, stationed in Guam, as a F-86D Sabre pilot.

Ron was the beloved husband of 67 years, to Betty A. DeWitt, married on June 8, 1957, and devoted father of Ronald G. DeWitt, Jr.

Following his service in the U.S. Air Force in 1957, Ron began his career in education at Loveland City Schools as a teacher and coach. Ron eventually went on to become an Elementary School Principal, High School Principal and Superintendent. Ron’s leadership, dedication to education, and support has affected many teachers and children over the years. This will have a lifetime influence for many years to come. A hundred years from now it will not matter what building you were in or the position you held. But the world may be different because you touched the life of a child. Thank you, Mr. DeWitt.

Family and friends will be received on Monday, December 2 from 6-8 PM in the Tufts Schildmeyer Funeral Home, 129 N. Riverside Ave., Loveland, where funeral services will be held on Tuesday, December 3 at 10:30 AM. Entombment Rest Haven Memorial Park.

Donations may be made to the Loveland Schools Foundation.

November 30, 2024
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signs transgender bathroom ban bill into law

Getty Images.

By: Megan Henry – Ohio Capital Journal

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a bill into law banning transgender students from using school bathrooms and locker rooms that match up with their gender identity.

The law requires people at Ohio K-12 schools and universities use the restroom that aligns with their gender assigned at birth. It also bans students from sharing overnight accommodations with people of the opposite sex from their assigned sex at birth at K-12 schools.

This does not prevent a school from having single-occupancy facilities and does not apply to someone helping a person with a disability or a child younger than 10 years old being assisted by a parent, guardian or family member.

The law will take effect 90 days after DeWine signed the bill.

A lawsuit is expected to be filed against this. The Ohio Capital Journal interviewed a Cleveland attorney over the summer about potential legal challenges with the bill, such as who would police such a policy?

Several transgender Ohioans, allies and educators called on DeWine to veto the bill. The Ohio Capital Journal recently talked to a family who plans on moving out of Ohio because of anti-transgender legislation at the Statehouse.

The bathroom ban (House Bill 183) was added to a bill that revises College Credit Plus (Senate Bill 104) in the eleventh hour of a House Session at the end of June before the lawmakers went on an extended break.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.

The Ohio Senate concurred with the changes made to S.B. 104 during their first session back from break.

State Reps. Beth Lear, R-Galena, and Adam Bird, R-New Richmond, introduced H.B. 183. State Sen. Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland, introduced S.B. 104.

About 3% of high school students identify as transgender, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The American Medical Association officially opposes policies preventing transgender individuals from accessing basic human services and public facilities consistent with gender identity.

Slightly more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth in Ohio considered suicide in 2022, according to the Trevor Project.

About a third of LGBTQ+ students were prevented from using the bathroom that aligned with their gender and slightly more than a quarter were stopped from using the locker room that aligned with their gender, according to Ohio’s 2021 state snapshot by GLSEN, which examines the school experiences of LGBTQ middle and high school students.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine gives his 2024 State of the State address in the Ohio House chambers at the Ohio Statehouse on Wednesday afternoon. (Pool photo by Barbara J. Perenic, Columbus Dispatch.)

Forty-two percent of transgender and nonbinary students were unable to use the bathroom that aligned with their gender and 36% couldn’t use the locker room that aligned with their gender, according to the Ohio GLSEN report.

Transgender youth who can’t use the bathroom that aligns with their gender are at a greater risk of sexual violence, according to a 2019 study published in the journal Pediatrics.

Other states with transgender bathroom bans

Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, Florida, and Utah have laws that ban transgender people from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity in schools.

Florida, Oklahoma, Idaho, and Tennessee’s laws have all been challenged. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit blocked Idaho’s law last year.

North Carolina made history in 2016 by becoming the first state to ban bathroom access to transgender people. The law was quickly appealed in 2017 and settled in federal court in 2019, but the state ended up losing hundreds of millions of dollars as the NBA All-Star Game and NCAA events were moved out of state.

Follow OCJ Reporter Megan Henry on X.

Megan Henry

Megan Henry is a reporter for the Ohio Capital Journal and has spent the past five years reporting in Ohio on various topics including education, healthcare, business and crime. She previously worked at The Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA Today Network.

Ohio Capital Journal is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

MORE FROM AUTHOR

November 27, 2024
City Council Capital Improvement Work Session Presentation

Loveland, Ohio – When the election conversation comes up during the Thanksgiving meal, here is a conversation changer. “Well Uncle Bill, what did you think about the City’s capital improvement budget for next year?”

On November 26 City Manager Dave Kennedy, Assistant City Manager Chris Wojnicz, and Kelsey Richards the City Engineer made a presentation to Council on the City’s projected capital improvement plans of $10.5 M.

Kennedy said that almost 40% of the costs will come from “outside” grant sources. Sidewalk improvements are approximately 26% of the plan.

There are plans to build a new 1M amphitheater in Nisbet Park and a walking trail expansion and “Riverside Swings” for almost 68K. Also, a roundabout at Valleyview Lane.

A plan for PFAS (Forever Chemical) removal from Loveland’s Drinking Water is moving forward, but without a component for water softening.

City Council CIP Work Session November 26, 2024

November 27, 2024
Adoption Modernization Act passes Senate, one step closer to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk

By: Megan Henry – Ohio Capital Journal

A bipartisan bill that would modernize Ohio’s adoption process unanimously passed the Ohio Senate last week.

House Bill 5 heads back to the Ohio House for concurrence. The House unanimously passed the bill last year and would head to Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk for his signature if the chamber concurs with the changes. The Ohio House’s next scheduled session is Dec. 4.

State Reps. Sharon Ray, R-Wadsworth, and Rachel Baker, D-Cincinnati, introduced the bill last year at the start of the General Assembly and this piece of legislation is personal to both of them. Ray was adopted as a child and Baker has three adopted children.

Ray and Baker worked with probate judges to come up with the bill. The state’s probate judges go through the Ohio Revised Code every few years to try to update various sections, including the adoption laws.

“Most of the changes are fairly minor, but it really will streamline the process for the adoption process in Ohio,” State Sen. Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville, said during last week’s Senate session. “It really will help those practitioners and those judges and those families that are going through this process.”

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.

State Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson, D-Toledo, said H.B. 5 is vital legislation that is long overdue.

“It is a good bill, and it does, what I think, will really shave off some of the anxiety, some of the problems that folks who are trying to go through that process, and also for children who are not sure about being in limbo for as long as the current processes,” she said.

More than 3,300 Ohio children are waiting to be adopted, according to AdoptUSKids, a national nonprofit that connects foster care children to families.

What’s in the bill?

In addition to modernizing the state’s adoption process, H.B. 5 would offer more consistency from county to county.

For foster-to-adopt situations, Ohio law requires a six month waiting period before an adoption can take place and says time spent in the foster home can be counted towards the waiting period. H.B. 5 would include kinship caregivers in that provision in an effort to speed up the adoption process.

H.B. 5 would allow an adult with a developmental disability to be adopted. Ohio’s law current only allows adults with an intellectual disability to be adopted.

The bill would double financial support for pregnant mothers to cover living expenses, increasing it from $3,000 to $6,000.

Under the bill, a court could reconsider an adoption decree if there is evidence the child is a victim of trafficking.

The bill also touches on foreign adoptions. Ohio law currently permits parents to petition the court to finalize a foreign adoption. H.B. 5 would allow foreign adoption decrees to be automatically finalized if either parent is an Ohio resident and an IR-3 or IH-3 visa has been issued to the child by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Follow OCJ Reporter Megan Henry on X.

YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.

______________

Megan Henry

Megan Henry is a reporter for the Ohio Capital Journal and has spent the past five years reporting in Ohio on various topics including education, healthcare, business and crime. She previously worked at The Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA Today Network.

Ohio Capital Journal is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

MORE FROM AUTHOR

November 27, 2024
Biden administration unveils plan to cover weight loss meds under Medicare, Medicaid

The Biden administration is proposing to cover drugs like Ozempic, which is used to treat heart disease, diabetes and obesity, under Medicare and Medicaid. (Photo illustration by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

By: Jennifer Shutt – Ohio Capital Journal

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced Tuesday it’s reinterpreting federal law to allow Medicare and Medicaid patients access to anti-obesity medications to reduce their weight over the long term.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid’s proposed rule, which the Trump administration would need to finalize before it would take effect, is expected to cost $25 billion for Medicare combined with $11 billion in federal spending and $3.8 billion in state spending for Medicaid coverage throughout the next decade.

CMS is encouraging states to submit comments to the proposed rule explaining when they could implement the Medicaid provision, since that health care program includes cost sharing between federal and state governments.

Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people 65 and older and some younger people with certain disabilities or conditions. Medicaid provides health care to some low-income individuals.

“People with obesity deserve to have affordable access to medical treatment and support, including anti-obesity medications for this disease; just as a person with type two diabetes can access these medications to get healthy,” CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said on a call with reporters. “That’s why we’re proposing to revise our interpretation of the law and provide coverage of anti-obesity medications for the treatment of obesity.”

Brooks-LaSure said CMS was reinterpreting the law to view obesity as a chronic condition, which the agency believes provides a pathway for Medicare and Medicaid to cover anti-obesity medications.

“The medical community today agrees that obesity is a chronic disease,” Brooks-LaSure said. “It is a serious condition that increases the risk of premature death and can lead to other serious health issues, such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes.”

More than 40% of Americans have obesity and CMS data shows 22% of Medicare recipients were diagnosed with obesity during 2022, double the number from 10 years ago, she said.

CMS wrote in a fact sheet about the proposed rule that since creation of the Medicare Part D program, which provides prescription drug coverage, the agency has “interpreted the statutory exclusion of ‘agents when used for weight loss’ to mean that a drug, when used for weight loss, is excluded from the definition of a covered Part D drug.”

Trump and RFK Jr.

President-elect Donald Trump hadn’t commented on the proposal as of late Tuesday morning, but his planned nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has repeatedly criticized newer weight loss drugs like Ozempic.

Kennedy was skeptical of studies showing the benefits of weight loss drugs during an appearance on Fox News last month, arguing the federal government would spend less money if it provided healthy meals to all Americans instead of coverage for weight loss drugs.

“If we spent about one-fifth of that giving good food, three meals a day, to every man, woman and child in our country, we could solve the obesity and diabetes epidemic overnight,” Kennedy said.

CMS expects that about 3.4 million people in the Medicare program would become eligible for anti-obesity medication coverage under the proposed rule that would take effect in 2026 if Trump decides to finalize it.

Dan Tsai, CMS deputy administrator and director for the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, said during the call the agency hopes states submit comments in the weeks and months ahead detailing “when states would be required to implement this provision.”

“We note in the rule that the rule reinterprets the Medicaid statute, which means this would govern all Medicaid programs,” Tsai said. “But we specifically invite comment on a range of implications and timing for states.”

Cost differs in CBO report

The total cost of the program during the next decade that CMS provided on the call for Medicare was somewhat different from a cost estimate the Congressional Budget Office released last month. CBO is a government agency that provides nonpartisan budget information to Congress.

CBO projected it would cost the federal government $35 billion between 2026 and 2034 to cover anti-obesity medications for Medicare patients.

“Relative to the direct costs of the medications, total savings from beneficiaries’ improved health would be small—less than $50 million in 2026 and rising to $1.0 billion in 2034,” CBO wrote in the analysis.

The report explained that Medicare currently covers “some obesity-related services, including screening, behavioral counseling, and bariatric surgery (a procedure performed on the stomach or intestines to induce weight loss).”

While Medicare does cover anti-obesity medications for recipients with diabetes or cardiovascular disease, CBO wrote, Medicare “is prohibited by law from covering medications for weight management as part of the standard prescription drug benefit.”

The CBO report didn’t include a cost estimate for Medicaid, but noted that weight management drug coverage within that program is optional.

“According to one study, of the 47 states with publicly available lists of preferred drugs, nine had Medicaid programs that covered Wegovy in the first quarter of 2023.”

The National Governors Association and National Conference of State Legislatures both declined to comment on the proposed rule and its effect on state Medicaid programs.

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Jennifer Shutt

Jennifer covers the nation’s capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Her coverage areas include congressional policy, politics and legal challenges with a focus on health care, unemployment, housing and aid to families.

Ohio Capital Journal is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

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November 26, 2024
Ohio attorney general appeals decision that struck down state’s six-week abortion ban

By: Susan Tebben – Ohio Capital Journal

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost will appeal a Hamilton County court’s decision to strike down the state’s six-week abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest that was put into effect for several months after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.

Yost, along with Ohio Department of Health director Bruce Vanderhoff and the State Medical Board of Ohio’s Kim Rothermel and Bruce Saferin, were listed in the notice of appeal filed this week in the 1st District Court of Appeals. The 1st District is the appellate court that oversees Hamilton County.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.

Ohio Attorney General Dave YostThe state attorney general is appealing Hamilton County Judge Christian Jenkins’ decision in October which struck down a 2019 law that banned abortions after six weeks gestation, a time at which supporters of the law said fetal cardiac activity could be detected.

The law was blocked in court almost from the moment it was enacted, with abortion rights advocates suing to stop enforcement of the law.

When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the summer of 2022, Yost asked a federal court the same day for the law to be released from its injunction.

The law then went into effect for several months, but was then tied up in court again after abortion rights advocates like Preterm Cleveland and Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region asked the Ohio Supreme Court, and then a Hamilton County court, to stop the law once again.

When 57% of Ohio voters approved a reproductive rights constitutional amendment in November 2023, attorneys for the abortions rights groups sought to get the law permanently overturned, with the rights enshrined in the new amendment.

During the case, after the amendment was passed by voters, Yost argued that the law shouldn’t be thrown out entirely. He argued that some provisions didn’t conflict with the amendment passed by voters and should be kept, such as mandatory waiting periods and multiple appointments required for abortion care.

This past October, Jenkins agreed with the groups, saying the new amendment “now unequivocally protects the right to abortion” and that the law should be permanently overturned “to give meaning to the voice of Ohio’s voters.”

“Unlike the Ohio Attorney General, this court will uphold the Ohio Constitution’s protection of abortion rights,” Jenkins wrote in his decision. “The will of the people of Ohio will be given effect.”

Jenkins used Yost’s own legal analysis of the amendment (written prior to its passage) against him in the ruling. Yost wrote in the analysis that the amendment “would give greater protection to abortion to be free from regulation than at any time in Ohio’s history.”

“Ohio would no longer have the ability to limit abortions at any time before a fetus is viable,” Yost wrote. “Passage of Issue 1 would invalidate the Heartbeat Act, which restricts abortions (with health and other exceptions) after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is usually at about six weeks.”

Jessie Hill, cooperating attorney for the ACLU of Ohio, who represented abortion rights groups in the case, said they intend to “keep fighting to ensure that the amendment is enforced, and Ohioans’ rights are protected.”

“We are disappointed that the attorney general continues to spend taxpayer money on this lawsuit and disregard the very clear message that Ohioans sent when an overwhelming majority approved the Reproductive Freedom Amendment to our constitution,” Hill said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.

The Capital Journal has reached out to the Attorney General’s Office for comment.

YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.

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Susan Tebben

Susan Tebben is an award-winning journalist with a decade of experience covering Ohio news, including courts and crime, Appalachian social issues, government, education, diversity and culture. She has worked for The Newark Advocate, The Glasgow (KY) Daily Times, The Athens Messenger, and WOUB Public Media. She has also had work featured on National Public Radio.

Ohio Capital Journal is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

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November 26, 2024