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Read. Follow. Verify.Ohio House Bill 945 tightens licensing, ownership, and opioid safety rules for hospice care programs
Last action · May 20, 2026: Referred to HealthSponsors: Andrea White and 1 other
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What This Bill Would Do
Ohio House Bill 945 overhauts hospice care regulations by requiring background checks and financial s for license applicants, restricting individuals from serving as medical directors or chief administrators across multiple unrelated facilities, and mandating strict opioid disposal protocols. The measure also pauses new hospice licenses and ownership changes for six months unless a regional need is demonstrated.
The measure establishes stricter operational requirements, $100,000 mandates, and ownership stability rules for hospice providers while introducing new quality monitoring thresholds and mandatory reporting for unused controlled substances.
- Ohio regulates hospice care programs through statutory provisions under Chapter 3712 of the Revised Code, administered by the Department of Health. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Hospice care programs
Hospice programs must comply with new surety bond mandates, administrative staffing limits, mandatory opioid disposal tracking, and temporary restrictions on ownership changes.
Hospice patients and their families
Patients and families receive written policies and discussions regarding opioid safety, disposal procedures, and information regarding veterans' benefits.
Ohio Department of Health
The department is tasked with enforcing new licensing rules, conducting background checks, monitoring quarterly quality measures, and reviewing hospice compliance.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What new financial requirements apply to new hospice care programs?
How does the bill handle unused opioid medications in home hospice care?
Can a medical director oversee multiple hospice programs under the bill?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- May 20, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred to Health
- May 19, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Stricter Ownership and Anti-Fraud Controls
The bill implements a five-year ownership freeze for new hospice licenses and requires extensive background disclosures to curb health care fraud and administrative overextension.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legislature.ohio.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy35Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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