Amy Acton discusses rising healthcare costs in Zanesville
ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Another campaign stop has been made in Muskingum County on Friday. At the Muskingum County Democrats’ Office, Dr. Amy Acton has stopped by to talk to residents about how she would lower health care costs and make it more accessible if she’s elected governor.
The Democratic candidate in Ohio’s gubernatorial race stopped in Zanesville to discuss the cost-of-living issues that everyday Ohioans are facing. Among issues like rising electricity bills, gas prices and rent, Acton says the highest costs that Ohioans face are in a doctor’s office.
“Every one of us is one healthcare emergency away from losing everything and we actually, we’re putting forward proposals, by the way, for pennies on the dollar. We can alleviate medical debt. We can renegotiate it. That’s a big proposal we have,” Acton said. “We’re trying to keep people from being kicked off the rolls. Right now, going around Ohio, our rural hospitals are collapsing, urban, they’re all on the brink. These cuts to Medicaid that are coming January in 2027 are going to kick even more people that are working and insured off. ”
According to a report by the consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen, nine Ohio hospitals are at risk of closure due to Medicaid cuts. Another report from the Statehouse News Bureau, says that 31 hospitals, clinics and providers are at risk of closing or are announcing cuts.
Should Acton win in the November election, she would most likely be working with a Republican legislature when she is sworn in. She believes that her agenda is something people are willing to work across the aisle towards.
“I will work with anybody who will actually wants to solve problems instead of making them and I’ve been doing it my whole life. I’ve never been partisan. But I’ve worked with people, you know, I’m approaching 40 years of the work I do. So I’ve worked with everybody in that state house, most everybody who’s there,” Acton said. “You know, I’m going to push a little. I’m a scrappy kid from Youngstown. So I’m up for those fights but I suspect we’ll find ways on common ground to get to work on the things Ohioans want.”
Acton faces Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the race for Ohio Governor this November. You can register to vote, update your voter registration, or check on your registration status by visiting VoteOhio.gov. The deadline for voter registration is Oct. 5.
UPDATED SAME DAY AT 4:21 P.M.: An additional source has been added from the Statehouse News Bureau to include the risk to clinics and other healthcare providers that go beyond the closure of hospitals. This source also shows the impact may result in cuts to departments at these healthcare providers.
