The members of the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association (Akron Children’s Hospital, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Dayton Children’s, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, ProMedica Russell J. Ebeid Children’s Hospital and UH/Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital) oppose the “Drug Price Relief Act,” an initiated statute that will appear before Ohio voters on November 7, 2017.

To ensure that we have a strong, healthy workforce in the future, Ohio’s children must have access to high quality health care when the need arises – including access to affordable medications. Trusted policy experts across the political spectrum and organizations representing more than 30,000 health care providers from across the state have reviewed the proposal and believe that it would be risky, costly and unworkable for the citizens of our state. Children’s hospitals are particularly concerned that the proposal could lead to higher prices and/or decreased access to life-saving medications for Ohio’s children – half of which rely on Medicaid for health care coverage.

Our hospitals provide the highest quality of care to all Ohio children, regardless of the family’s ability to pay. We take great pride in transforming lives by ensuring Ohio’s most precious asset – our children – have access to the safest, most innovative care in the world, right here in Ohio. We strongly oppose any measure that would negatively impact our ability to deliver this care – including necessary medication – to children when they need it the most – and Issue 2 threatens to do just that.