Rep. Boyd to Host Open Meeting with State School Superintendent

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Barbara

State Representative Barbara Boyd (D-Cleveland Heights) will host an information sharing meeting with special guest Deborah Delisle, State School Superintendent this Thursday, December 17, 2009. The meeting, free and open to the public, will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Cleveland Heights Community Center located at 1 Monticello Boulevard in Cleveland Heights.
“We are positioning Ohio’s schools to provide the leaders of the next generation, and Ms. Delisle will pay a major role in making that effort a success,” said Rep. Boyd. “The Comprehensive Education Reform legislation passed earlier this year ensures that we have an equitable school funding plan. This key investment in our future recognizes the impact that a 21st Century educations system can have on Ohio’s long-term economic success.”
Superintendent Delisle is expected to discuss key issues facing education in Ohio, including the potentially disastrous impact on Ohio schools if the Ohio Senate fails to approve a budget balancing measure before the end of the year.
Prior to her becoming state superintendent of public instruction in October of 2008, Supt. Delisle served as superintendent of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District.

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State Rep. Boyd’s Diabetes Insurance Bill Passes Ohio House

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Barbara

The Ohio House of Representatives today approved a bill sponsored by State Representative Barbara Boyd (D-Cleveland Heights) to expand insurance coverage for patients with diabetes, helping people get the supplies and education they need to self-manage their diabetes. The vote was 58-38.
“An estimated 380,000 Ohioans have diabetes, and many of them are under-insured. This places a massive economic burden on people who are already struggling to make ends meet,” said Rep. Boyd. “Residents of this state deserve to have insurance coverage that provides benefits for diabetes equipment, supplies and medication. They should not have to choose between paying for food and treatment.”
Currently, many health insurance companies in the state explicitly exclude coverage for Diabetes. House Bill 81 would require coverage in certain situations for equipment, supplies, and medication for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of diabetes and for diabetes self-management education.
Currently forty-six states have requirements similar to HB 81.
Diabetes costs Ohio $6-billion a year, and experts predict that number will rise. Rep. Boyd’s Ohio House Health Committee heard testimony that employers in states that have enacted similar measures have found cost savings through reduced employee absenteeism and increased work productivity. The bill should also save money as insurers pay for less costly maintenance programs rather than expensive surgeries later on.
House Bill 81 would be the only law in the country that includes an “actuarial soundness provision” that would give health care plans the option to exempt from coverage if it is shown that their rates have increased by 1% due to the required coverage. Ohio would be the first state in the union to include this 1% opt-out provision as an added safeguard to business and industry.
“This bill is written to provide the business and insurance communities with the most flexibility of any diabetes coverage bill in the country that is being proposed or that is already in law,” said Rep. Boyd. “It is good for business, and puts the needs of the patients first.”
House Bill 81 now goes to the Ohio Senate for consideration.

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State Rep. Boyd Given “Excellence in Caring” Award

Posted on September 15, 2009 by Barbara

State Representative Barbara Boyd (D-Cleveland Heights) has been awarded the “Excellence in Caring Award” by The Ohio Council for Home Care (OCHC) organization. The award will be presented during the OCHC Annual Awards Luncheon at the Greater Columbus Convention Center on Thursday, September 24, 2009.
In giving the award, OCHC says it appreciates Representative Boyd’s emphasis on the importance of home health care in Ohio, especially after her personal experience with loved ones in similar situations.
“As a caregiver for five years for my late mother who died of Alzheimer’s, I have personal knowledge of the value of home health care workers to caregivers who wish to maintain services within their own home,” says Rep. Boyd. “It is a great honor to receive this award, and I will continue to work for legislation that improves the quality of home health care in Ohio.”
Representative Boyd, who chairs the Ohio House Health Committee, plans to introduce a bill to require the licensure of home health agencies to protect the families and loved ones who are utilizing the services that organizations such as OCHC provide. Her bill is intended to increase accountability for home health services and to also ensure the quality care that our loved ones deserve.
OCHC’s services are provided by three different groups: Home care agencies, home care aide organizations and hospices. Depending on a person’s needs, other services such as physical, occupational, and speech therapy, and social and nutritional care may be available. OCHC also provides services that deliver meals to homes, provide home modifications and durable medical equipment (DME) and offer adult day cares.

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State Rep. Boyd Named Chairman of Premier Legislative Committee

Posted on February 3, 2009 by Barbara

Ohio House Speaker Armond Budish named State Representative Barbara Boyd (D-Cleveland Heights) as chair of the Health Committee.
“Heath issues have always been very important to me,” said Rep. Boyd. “I view this area as vital to the quality of life for Ohioans. “I pledge to work hard to ensure that everyone in the state has the best possible access to high quality health care.”
Rep. Boyd has also served on the House and Senate Cancer Caucus, the House and Senate Asthma Caucus and the Housing Issues Caucus.
In 2007, she received recognition for her commitment to and support of kinship caregivers in Ohio from the Ohio Grandparent/Kinship Coalition at the 1st Statewide Kinship Care Conference.
“Rep. Boyd is an excellent choice to chair this committee,” said Speaker Budish. “She has served with distinction in the Ohio House for a number of years, and her personal experiences caring for family members will make her an effective advocate for the people of Ohio. I greatly admire her passion for improving the lives of all Ohioans.”
The Health Committee has not yet scheduled its first session.
Rep. Boyd will also be a member of the following House committees: Finance, Finance Human Services Subcommittee, Judiciary, Rules and Reference and Housing and Urban Revitalization.

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Opposition to RTA service cuts and fare increases

Posted on August 8, 2008 by Barbara

In these challenging economic times, when gas and food prices are high and economic opportunity can be scarce, people use public transportation as a lifeline … a practical solution to near-impossible situations. But I believe these proposed changes will place an unreasonable burden on the members of our community who are least able to adapt to them: seniors, children and those with low incomes.
Now is the worst possible time to eliminate public transportation routes and services as an alternative. We simply cannot afford to lose any options, not when people need RTA to get to work and school.
Fare increases can be equally devastating … an impediment to productivity. So many costs are rising around us that higher fares for RTA buses will jeopardize the delicate balance many people face in the daily struggle to make ends meet.
I understand the need to maintain a balanced budget. We must present balanced budgets at the Statehouse, and that requires very tough decisions about what to fund and what not to fund. But in my experience, I have found there are alternatives to cutting those vital services that help our economy go and our people work. I implore you to explore every option and avoid the cuts and fare increases that will harm the very residents who most depend on RTA.

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