Grove City Council unanimously approves health insurance grant program

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Grove City Council unanimously approved on Monday night a new ordinance to help some people pay for health insurance.

The council passed the Grove City CARES Healthcare Pilot Program which aims to help low-income households with the cost health insurance.

Ted Berry, a councilman for Grove City, said the more he talked to people in the community, the more he realized healthcare is unaffordable for a lot of residents.

“You go out to a restaurant and you’re talking to someone serving you, you’re talking to people who help you landscape your yard or you’re talking to people at the grocery store. These people don’t have health insurance,” he said.

Berry met with the mayor more than a year ago to talk about ideas to help those who are uninsured. They found two groups of people need health insurance the most: the elderly and those who make a low income.

“Those part-time jobs don’t pay for healthcare. It’s sad they don’t, but there’s a lot of small mom-and-pop shops that can’t afford to pay for healthcare,” Berry said. “There’s senior citizens in our community that have the federal program, of course. Then, they have savings but there’s a gap where they can’t afford medicine and things like that.”

Households making less than $30,000 a year would be eligible for the Grove City CARES Healthcare Pilot Program.

Eligible individuals could get up to $400 annually for healthcare assistance, and families could get up to $600, according to grant documents.

The city won’t pay for all of the insurance. Instead, it will cover monthly payments for those on Medicaid and help pay for secondary insurance for the elderly.

“People who are making that income are more worried about food, a place to stay, transportation. Healthcare is secondary thing,” Berry said.

10TV spoke to people who live in Grove City about the plan. Most people said they support the ordinance. 

“I think that’s a great idea,” one resident said. “This year, one of my prescriptions went up. I take eight prescriptions, and it went up 400 dollars.”

Another resident said, “Health insurance shouldn’t be something we have to worry about in a country that is supposed to be free.”

“I think it would be awesome,” another woman said. “I make under $30,000 and I have to buy my own medicine. They cut me off my insurance.”

Berry said he hopes the program changes people’s lives. 10TV asked him what he would say to those who don’t support the ordinance.

“As a society, we come together and we lift each other up,” said Berry.

The city has not yet determined how much money will be allocated for the program. It is forming a committee to figure out the amount of funding needed.