MyCare Ohio Waiver Program: What Families of Aging Parents Need to Know

Your parent is enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid, and suddenly their PASSPORT waiver case manager isn't the one making service decisions anymore. An insurance company letter shows up talking about "Next Generation MyCare." Nobody explained the change, and you're wondering who's actually running your parent's home care now.

What MyCare Ohio Is

MyCare Ohio is a mandatory managed care program for "fully dual-eligible" individuals — seniors enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid who live in a participating county. Instead of receiving Medicare benefits from one source and Medicaid LTSS (Long-Term Services and Supports) from another, everything consolidates into a single managed care organization.

For families, this means one insurance plan handles everything: doctor visits, hospital stays, prescription drugs, home care attendants, adult day services, respite care, and skilled nursing. The upside is integrated coordination. The downside is that all service authorizations — including the PASSPORT waiver services your parent may already be receiving — now flow through the MCO's care coordinator, not the Area Agency on Aging.

The 2026 County Rollout

Ohio is rolling out Next Generation MyCare statewide through 2026. If your parent's county is on this schedule, enrollment is mandatory for dual-eligible individuals:

• January 2026: Hamilton, Cuyahoga, Franklin, Summit, Stark, Lucas, and surrounding counties (legacy demonstration regions)
• April 2026: Sandusky, Erie, Fayette, Fairfield, Licking, Ashtabula, and others
• May 2026: Western and north-central counties (Darke, Miami, Shelby, Allen, Richland, Marion, and more)
• June 2026: Southern Appalachian counties (Ross, Highland, Scioto, Lawrence, and others)
• July 2026: Eastern counties (Tuscarawas, Carroll, Jefferson, Belmont, Guernsey, and more)
• August 2026: Southeastern counties (Hocking, Athens, Washington, Meigs, and others)

Three plans are available statewide: Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, CareSource, and Molina Healthcare. Buckeye Health Plan participates but is closed to new enrollees for the 2026 plan year — only existing Buckeye members can stay.

What Changes for Your Parent's Home Care

If your parent was receiving PASSPORT waiver services through the local Area Agency on Aging, those services don't disappear under MyCare — but the chain of command changes:

• Before MyCare: the AAA case manager authorized personal care hours, respite care, home-delivered meals, and other PASSPORT services
• After MyCare: the MCO's care coordinator takes over these authorizations. The AAA may still conduct assessments, but the managed care plan controls the service plan and provider network

This matters because MCOs sometimes reduce authorized hours or change providers as part of their cost management. If your parent's personal care attendant hours get cut, the appeal goes to the MCO's internal appeals department — not the AAA.

Why Legal Authority Matters in the MyCare Transition

If your parent can't navigate this system independently — choosing a plan, responding to enrollment letters, communicating with the care coordinator — someone needs legal authority to act on their behalf.

A durable financial power of attorney with explicit authority to manage government benefits allows you to:

• Select or change the MCO during enrollment windows
• Communicate directly with the MCO care coordinator
• Appeal service reductions or provider changes
• Sign enrollment and disenrollment forms
• Authorize service plan modifications

Without that authority, you're stuck making phone calls where the plan representative tells you they can only speak to the member — even when the member has moderate dementia.

The Ohio Power of Attorney & Guardianship Kit covers MyCare Ohio enrollment coordination alongside the PASSPORT waiver application process, with specific guidance on structuring the POA so you can manage your parent's integrated care plan.

See more Ohio guides →