Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, who took office in January, will not accept the state’s health insurance benefit for employees while so many Ohioans are uninsured, a spokesman said.
Strickland took the same position when he was first elected to Congress in 1992, paying for his own insurance coverage while representing a rural southeast Ohio district that included parts of Appalachia.
As governor, Strickland was initially undecided about whether to accept the state’s medical benefits. He ultimately decided that he and First Lady Frances Strickland will not.
“Having the responsibility of paying out of pocket helps them understand the burden for hardworking Ohioans,” Strickland spokesman Keith Dailey said.
An estimated 46.6 million Americans lack health insurance, including about 1.2 million Ohioans.
Strickland, whose salary is $144,831 a year, is currently buying health insurance from the federal government that is offered to retired members of Congress. He and his wife will switch over to coverage available through the state later this year, reimbursing the state for the cost.
Family coverage under those plans costs about $10,600 a year, according to the Department of Administrative Services.
No other statewide officeholders or members of the state Legislature reimburse the state for the cost of their health insurance, according the Department of Administrative Services.
Strickland has made expanding health coverage for Ohioans one of his budget priorities.
The House has passed a version of the state budget that includes the governor’s plan to expand Medicaid benefits to children in families with incomes at 300 percent of the federal poverty level, or up to $51,510 a year for a family of three.
The $52.1 billion, two-year state budget, is now before the Senate.
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