JohnnytheCook
@johnnythecook.bsky.social
Retiree, policy nerd, Medicaid fan, Ohio U graduate, Lakewood local, advocate, cook, love cities, visual arts and music
I established an LGBTQ+ scholarship at Ohio University to honor my friend. SB 1 forced me to move it off campus. thebuckeyeflame.com/2026/08/13/s...
I established an LGBTQ+ scholarship at Ohio University to honor my friend. SB 1 forced me to move it off campus.
My decision was a direct response to current state policies that limit public universities’ ability to serve LGBTQ+ students openly and affirmatively.
thebuckeyeflame.com
A policy affecting millions of #Medicaid beneficiaries should be grounded in Medicaid evidence. Yet HHS relies on a model built on assumptions from non-Medicaid programs, while actual Medicaid work requirement data from Arkansas and Georgia receives nearly no attention. aspe.hhs.gov/reports/medi...
Medicaid Work Requirements Incentivize Employment and Are Estimated to Reduce Poverty
aspe.hhs.gov
These rules are going to near impossible for states to implement effectively, for people living with cancer, heart disease, severe mental illness, HIV, or other chronic conditions, the question may no longer be "Are you sick?" but "Are you sick enough?" to qualify for an exemption
KFF@kff.org · 5mo agoCMS’s 6/1 interim final rule on Medicaid work requirements adopts a restrictive definition of medical frailty that differs from states’ early expectations. KFF’s Jennifer Tolbert explains why the more restrictive definition will be challenging for states to implement: https://on.kff.org/4v4t5gh
We just moved a step closer to a Medicaid work requirement, a major cut made by last year’s Republican reconciliation law that will take away health coverage from millions of people. The Trump administration issued a rule that makes bad policy even worse. www.cms.gov/newsroom/fac...
Medicaid Community Engagement Requirement for Certain Individuals Interim Final Rule with Comment Period (CMS-2454-IFC) | CMS
Medicaid Community Engagement Requirement for Certain Individuals Interim Final Rule with Comment Period (CMS-2454-IFC)
cms.gov
In the wake of another horrific shooting death in MN by federal immigration officers -on top of wrongful detentions, violence, & fear there & across the country- it is appropriate for the Senate to use the budget process to push for critical protections for people & communities.
#GoodNews House GOP Dissidents Back ACA Vote, Siding With Democrats www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
House GOP Dissidents Back ACA Vote, Siding With Democrats
Lawmakers fearing a lapse in enhanced subsidies signed on to a petition from Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
wsj.com
Trump began today's Cabinet meeting by criticizing questions about his stamina. "I think I’m sharper than I was 25 years ago," the president said, later mocking "Sleepy Joe." Then he appeared to battle sleep for more than an hour. More with Natalie Allison and @riegerreport.bsky.social
Trump appears to doze off in another meeting
It was the second time in a month Trump has appeared to struggle to stay awake as his advisers have spoken to cameras about the administration’s initiatives.
washingtonpost.com
Disappointed to see the Cleveland City Club give CCV a public platform, a group the @splcenter.org classifies as an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group. Calling LGBTQ people “unhealthy and destructive” isn’t civic dialogue. It’s bigotry. Hoping the Club reconsiders. www.cityclub.org/forums/2026/...
Faith, Policy, and Influence: A Conversation with the President of the Center for Christian Virtue | The City Club of Cleveland | January 16, 2026
Over the past decade, the Center for Christian Virtue has emerged as one of the most influential nonprofit advocacy organizations in the state of Ohio, notching legislative victories on school choice ...
cityclub.org
Meanwhile, while millions of Americans go without food the White House holds Great Gatsby parties and Musk gets a trillion dollars.
Last night, we went to the USDA building to send a big message to Trump: Half isn't good enough—FULLY fund SNAP. Trump has the power to stop this but chooses politics over people. One in eight families rely on SNAP, and half funding means hunger. Don't starve families so you can play politics.
We had cut some fresh flowers off our Rose of Sharon bush to put on the dinner table last night and this little guy kept coming to visit for the pollen
I guess hipsters can be anti-union as well, #RisingStarCoffee trying to thwart #union organizing www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-n...
Protest takes place in Lakewood at Rising Star Coffee amid early closings, employee concerns
Popular Lakewood coffee shop, Rising Star Coffee, is facing backlash after recently closing its shop several hours early, and employees claim their concerns for health and safety have been overlooked.
news5cleveland.com
On August 4, 1946, civil rights activists picketed Cleveland’s Euclid Beach Park for the first time, challenging its segregationist policies. The protest helped spark a broader movement that led to the park’s eventual integration in 1947. #CivilRights #ClevelandHistory
Euclid Beach Park Riot - Violence and the Color Line at Cleveland's Leading Amusement Park | Cleveland Historical
On August 4, 1946, almost one year after the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan and the end of World War ll, a picket line appeared in front of Cleveland's Euclid Beach amusement park for the firs...
clevelandhistorical.org
In non professional news, at year six in this house we finally found the perfect spot for tomatoes
Once known for peddling miracle cures on daytime TV, Dr. Oz is now bringing his flair for imaginary ideas to halls of Congress www.politico.com/live-updates...
Oz works to assuage GOP members on Medicaid relief fund
GOP Reps. Rob Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania are among those concerned about the effect on hospitals.
politico.com
The Senate’s version of Trump’s tax-cut bill threatens safety-net hospitals like ours www.statnews.com/2025/06/23/m... via @statnews.com
The Senate’s version of Trump’s tax-cut bill threatens safety-net hospitals like ours
Senate version of Trump’s tax-cut bill “poses an existential threat to our hospitals and to the Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries we serve,” write CEOs of two major health systems.
statnews.com
Big win for #SNAP: Senate Parliamentarian rules GOP plan to shift SNAP costs to states can’t be in reconciliation. Cuts to legal immigrants blocked too. Huge relief for families & states. House GOP now scrambling for offsets. www.politico.com/news/2025/06...
Senate GOP’s plan to push food aid costs onto states axed from megabill
The cost-share plan was a critical way for Republicans to trim spending to pay for their massive reconciliation package and farm bill programs.
politico.com
The Senate’s Byrd Bath is underway. Key #Medicaid provisions under review include provider tax caps, work requirements, retroactive coverage limits, and new SSN rules. Each could be removed by the parliamentarian. Rulings expected next week. The bill includes over $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts 😱
Just posted a breakdown of what the latest @urbaninstitute.bsky.social analysis says about federal Medicaid cuts and the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits—and what it could mean for Ohio, Cuyahoga County and safety-net hospitals www.linkedin.com/pulse/friday...
Friday the 13th
Perhaps it was appropriate that I read the new Urban Institute report, State-Level Estimates of Health Care Spending and Uncompensated Care Changes under the Reconciliation Bill and Expiration of Enha...
linkedin.com
House GOP’s “Big Beautiful Bill” hurts millions — including 1 in 4 veterans who relied on #Medicaid or #SNAP in 2023. It slashes health & food aid, excludes 680K kids of working vets from the CTC, and raises costs for struggling families. This isn’t how we honor service. www.cbpp.org/research/fed...
2025 Budget Impacts: House Bill Would Cut Assistance and Raise Costs for Veterans | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
House Republicans’ budget reconciliation legislation would take away health coverage and food assistance from many millions of people, including veterans. One out of every four veterans lived in a...
cbpp.org
Senate Republicans may use reconciliation to push more #Medicare cuts. The House bill already triggers a record $45B Medicare PAYGO cut in 2026—raising costs or cutting benefits for millions. Now the Senate GOP is eyeing billions more in direct cuts. More via @axios: www.axios.com/2025/06/05/s...
Senate GOP eyes Medicare cuts with Trump's blessing
"The president is willing to eliminate any waste, fraud and abuse anywhere."
axios.com
The Trump/Musk feud is making me want to open up a Twitter account again 😂
Voinovich stood up to Bush’s tax cuts in 2003 over deficit concerns. I didn’t agree with him on everything, but he was consistent. Are any GOP leaders today willing to do the same? www.cleveland.com/letters/2025...
Voinovich was right - we ignore the negative consequences of needless deficits at our peril
Today’s lawmakers should take a page from the late Sen. George Voinovich’s book: Tax cuts that add to the debt are not pro-growth — they’re fiscally reckless. If we keep pretending deficits don’t matt...
cleveland.com
Trump’s fiscal agenda goes beyond budget cuts. It’s a coordinated push to shrink funding for housing, health, and local aid—while expanding executive control over spending decisions. In my latest piece, I break down what this means for Northeast Ohio and nationwide www.linkedin.com/pulse/trumps...
Trump’s Federal Fiscal Agenda: Massive Cuts, Expanding Executive Power
Tracking federal spending in the Trump era is like playing Minesweeper on expert mode—except the board resets every five minutes, and someone deleted the undo button. First, the President is attemptin...
linkedin.com
Ohio would lose far more than it saves by ending #Medicaid expansion. Just $116M in net savings vs. $42B in lost federal funds, 435K more uninsured, and over $1.1B in lost tax revenue. The real state cost? Health, jobs, and economic stability www.healthpolicyohio.org/our-work/pub...
