In what may be the first program of its kind, Grove City is moving forward with a pilot program to help low-income residents pay for healthcare.
City Council passed a resolution 6-0 on Monday night creating the CARES Grant Program, which was introduced by City Councilman Ted Berry.
"We have some of the best health care in the country right here in central Ohio. It's just not affordable to everybody," Berry said.
Berry said the program will help the city's lowest income residents pay health insurance premiums for plans purchased through the Affordable Care Act.
"If you're in that $30,000 and less income level, you have a problem with getting food on the table, paying for your rent and things like that. So health care is not your primary thing, because living is your primary thing," Berry said.
Berry's original proposal included $75,000 to pay for grants of up to $600 a year to serve people earning up to $30,000 a year.
City Council voted to wait to appropriate funds until a committee works out more details.
Berry said depending on the committee's recommendations, the council could put more money into the program or maybe open it up to people making up to $40,000.
He said the program will also help part-time workers.
"There's a segment of our population that can't work full time for many reasons," Berry said. "It could be to stay with kids. It could be they're taking care of an older family member. You know, it could be a whole wide variety of reasons why they can only work part time."
Berry believes the program will also help small businesses retain employees.
"Especially when you get into the mom and pop stores that have one to four people, one to five people," Berry said. "It's hard to keep employees, because employees are constantly searching for health care, which they need. And so they try to go to businesses where they have it."
Berry said he hasn't come across a program like this in other cities, and believes it will be one of a kind.
"Sometimes communities have co-ops, what I call a co-op, where they'll have, with insurance companies and stuff like that. But I don't know of anybody that gives out what I call a CARES grant and everything," Berry said.
He said he's wants to get the program moving forward.
"What will be exciting is when the committee comes back and we get an accurate picture of how many people we can help, and what the cost thresholds are," Berry said.
