State of Ohio Archives: on Health Care
Jane Timken:
Obamacare was a government takeover of our healthcare
One of the reasons why I objected to Obamacare was because it was a government takeover of our healthcare in our lives. I don't believe in government intrusion. I think government takeover of our healthcare is an inefficient way to deliver
good healthcare results for the American people. And you start to see this overreach in the disastrous policies of the Democrats. Federal control is not what this country is about.
Source: Jewish Insider on 2022 Ohio Senate race
Mar 26, 2021
Josh Mandel:
Why shut down schools & small businesses for COVID?
Mandel criticized former Ohio Health Director Amy Acton, who is considering entering next year's Senate primary. Referring to Acton's initial projections that Ohio would see thousands of COVID cases each day, Mandel said she was widely inaccurate, even
though Ohio's average now is 10,000 cases per day."I'd love to have a debate of why Amy Acton shut down all these small businesses and shut down all these schools," Mandel said.
In addition, Mandel accused Acton--without evidence--of lying to
Gov. Mike DeWine about the threat the pandemic posed. Mandel also criticized the governor's handling of the pandemic response and accused him, too, of closing schools. "I completely disagree with Gov. DeWine's handling of the shutdowns of all these
businesses and schools," he said. "I think it was total government overreach. I think the big hand of government came in and unfairly shut down all these small businesses and unfairly shut down all these schools."
Source: WKYC 3News on 2022 Ohio Senate race
Feb 10, 2021
Nan Whaley:
Build infrastructure to distribute millions of vaccines
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, who announced that she would not be running for a third term as mayor this year, [discussed] the prospect of running for Ohio governor in 2022. "I am a progressive Democrat and I work with Republicans all the time and I know it
can be done,'' Whaley said. "But I honestly think [DeWine] is trapped by the extremist elements of his party,'' Whaley said, [especially the NRA].In our talk, Whaley raised another issue where she has a bone to pick with the incumbent governor--the
distribution of COVID-19 vaccines throughout the state. "We are very concerned that that the infrastructure is not there to deal with getting vaccines to millions of people in Ohio,'' Whaley said. "The governor and the state are still in a scarcity mind
set. And it's appropriate that we be careful about allocating scarce resources. But, by March or April, there will be plenty coming in. What happens when we have a ton of vaccines coming in?"
Source: WVXU Cincinnati NPR on 2022 Ohio Gubernatorial race
Jan 8, 2021
Tim Ryan:
Reauthorize the Healthy Start for Infants program
I introduced the Healthy Start Reauthorization Act, a bill that would reauthorize the Healthy Start for Infants program for five years. Healthy Start has been at the forefront of the fight against infant mortality for over
25 years, ensuring that women and families in low-income communities get access to early prenatal care, postpartum home visiting, fatherhood education programs, and other high-quality services.
Source: Mahoning Matters on 2022 Ohio Senate race
Oct 29, 2020
Jim Renacci:
Key to affordable healthcare is increasing competition
Q: Support or Repeal Affordable Care Act (ACA), known as ObamaCare?Sherrod Brown (D): Support & improve ACA. "Repeal would devastate Ohio children" & reduce access to opioid treatment.
Jim Renacci (R): Repeal ACA. Key to affordable healthcare is increasing competition, decreasing overhead.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Ohio Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
Mike DeWine:
Repeal ObamaCare; add work requirements to Medicare
Q: Support or Repeal ACA, aka ObamaCare? Accept ACA's Medicaid expansion to subsidize low-income participants?Richard Cordray (D): Supports ACA. On Medicaid expansion, 700,000 Ohioans have access to health care "who will
not have it if it goes away."
Mike DeWine (R): Repeal ACA, believes could still keep pre-existing condition coverage. "Medicaid expansion is financially unsustainable," but would keep for now with added work requirements.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Ohio Governor race
Oct 9, 2018
Richard Cordray:
Expand Medicaid and ObamaCare
Q: Support or Repeal ACA, aka ObamaCare? Accept ACA's Medicaid expansion to subsidize low-income participants?Richard Cordray (D): Supports ACA. On Medicaid expansion, 700,000 Ohioans have access to health care "who will
not have it if it goes away."
Mike DeWine (R): Repeal ACA, believes could still keep pre-existing condition coverage. "Medicaid expansion is financially unsustainable," but would keep for now with added work requirements.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Ohio Governor race
Oct 9, 2018
Sherrod Brown:
Repealing ObamaCare would devastate Ohio children
Q: Support or Repeal Affordable Care Act (ACA), known as ObamaCare?Sherrod Brown (D): Support & improve ACA. "Repeal would devastate Ohio children" & reduce access to opioid treatment.
Jim Renacci (R): Repeal ACA. Key to affordable healthcare is increasing competition, decreasing overhead.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Ohio Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
Mike Gibbons:
Opposes ObamaCare
Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Expand ObamaCare"?
A: Strongly oppose
Source: OnTheIssues interview of 2018 Ohio Senate candidate
Apr 24, 2018
Richard Cordray:
ObamaCare saves lives and improves health
Reliable access to quality health care saves lives, promotes stable and healthy lifestyles, and provides security across the social and economic spectrum. The ACA has benefited a huge number of Ohioans by providing them with greater access to affordable
health care, which is a major worry for people and their families. Yet politicians in Washington are currently seeking to strip away the health care protections. We must fight to keep our health care and help Ohioans manage any gaps in coverage.
Source: 2018 Ohio gubernatorial campaign website CordrayForOhio.com
Apr 4, 2018
John Kasich:
$112M for mental health hospital, plus Medicaid expansion
Talking about the need to address difficult mental health issues, Gov. John Kasich signed the $2.6 billion state capital budget, which includes $112 million to replace the main hospital at the Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare campus.
Kasich, now about nine months from leaving office, also urged majority GOP lawmakers--and the next governor--to not do away with Medicaid expansion that he pushed so hard to implement. "It will be very easy to cut the programs that help people who
need help," he said. "Don't let it happen, folks, because you won't have the services for mental health, for drug addiction and to help the uninsured."
Part of the two-year capital budget seeks to address
mental health and drug addiction problems that continue to plague the state. That includes funding to replace the 178-bed facility at Twin Valley, which Kasich said he agreed to fund over a recommendation against it from his budget director.
Source: Columbus Dispatch on Ohio legislative records
Mar 30, 2018
Mike Gibbons:
Replace ObamaCare with competition
ObamaCare must be fully repealed. After we repeal ObamaCare, we need to start from scratch. We need to lower the out-of-control costs of health care itself and create a new system built on the principles of free enterprise.
Health care providers should compete to serve you. They should be working to offer the best possible care at the best possible price. The role of government should be minimal.
Source: 2018 Ohio Senatorial website GibbonsForOhio.com
Oct 15, 2017
Joe Schiavoni:
Protect Medicaid expansion; oppose ObamaCare repeal
As Governor, Joe Schiavoni will protect the expansion of Medicaid that has given health insurance to over
700,000 Ohioans, fight any attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and work with local communities to reduce the rates of infant mortality.
Source: 2018 Ohio Governor website JoeForOhio.com
Aug 17, 2017
Nan Whaley:
Medicaid crucial to helping addicts; don't throw people off
Medicaid covers both inpatient and outpatient drug rehabilitation. It also pays for a significant share of states' buprenorphine medication-assisted treatment. In my Montgomery County, where 773 treatment beds aren't nearly enough to respond to our
ever-growing need, it's critical that we expand treatment options, not make them out-of-reach by throwing people off their health insurance. The same is true for states and counties across the country.
Source: US News & World Report on 2018 Ohio Gubernatorial race
Jul 24, 2017
Jim Renacci:
Competition & tort reform instead of ObamaCare
Unfortunately, the Affordable Care Act failed to effectively address the increasing cost of providing care. We must take measures to reduce costs and make access to health insurance more affordable for everyone. The key to making health care more
affordable lies with increasing competition and eliminating unnecessary overhead costs on the system, not with a new government takeover of the health care system.While there are several parts of the law that I do support, such as eliminating
spending caps on essential benefits, preventing insurers from unjustly cancelling policies, closing the Medicare Part D "doughnut hole," and increasing wellness incentives, the President's health care reform law does not effectively address any
of the cost issues that prevent Americans from receiving appropriate health care.
I support health care reform that allows consumers to purchase insurance across state lines, and I believe that tort reform will reduce health care costs further.
Source: 2018 Ohio gubernatorial campaign website renacci.house.gov
May 2, 2017
John Kasich:
Medicaid expansion brought health care to 700,000 people
The expansion of Medicaid has brought health care to 700,000 people, one quarter of whom have chronic illness and one-third are struggling with mental illness or drug addiction.
Expanding Medicaid has freed up expanded resources in our communities to help more people.
Source: 2017 Ohio State of the State address
Apr 5, 2017
Ted Strickland:
Improve ObamaCare: repeal Cadillac Tax; negotiate Rx drugs
Q: Should the federal government ensure that every American has health coverage?Ted Strickland: Over the last six years, hundreds of thousands of Ohioans have taken advantage of healthcare offered as a result of the Affordable Care Act.
But there is still significantly more work to do and there are still serious problems within our system that need to be fixed. For instance, Americans are paying roughly double what citizens in other countries are paying for the same medicine.
We should always be open to improving on the ACA. We should repeal the Cadillac Tax so that workers aren't penalized for having high quality plans and make it easier for small businesses to provide health insurance to their employees.
Medicare Part D should be allowed to negotiate for better drug prices, just like the Department of Veterans Affairs does. And hospitals that are charging too much need to rein in overhead costs and pass the savings along to patients.
Source: Vote411.org League of Women Voters on 2016 Ohio Senate Race
Sep 19, 2016
Josh Mandel:
ObamaCare is job killer: prefers physician-owned hospitals
On health care, Mandel reiterated his opposition to Obama's Affordable Care Act, save for requirements to cover those with pre-existing medical conditions and to allow young adults to remain under their parents' coverage up to age 26.
But he believes "most of the rest of the bill is a job-killer." He talked most enthusiastically about fostering physician-owned hospitals as a way to create competitive, effective alternatives, and tort reform.
Source: Cleveland Plain-Dealer on 2022 Ohio Senate race
Aug 27, 2012
Josh Mandel:
ACA a job killer, physician-owned hospitals an alternative
On health care, Mandel reiterated his opposition to Obama's Affordable Care Act, save for requirements to cover those with pre-existing medical conditions and to allow young adults to remain under their parents' coverage up to age 26.
But he believes "most of the rest of the bill is a job-killer." He talked most enthusiastically about fostering physician-owned hospitals as a way to create competitive, effective alternatives, and tort reform.
Source: The Cleveland Plain-Dealer on 2022 Ohio Senate race
Aug 27, 2012
Mary Taylor:
ObamaCare saddles Ohio with higher costs
Gov. John Kasich and Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor released the following statement in response to the ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on the constitutionality of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act:"We're very disappointed that this
flawed law has been allowed to stand. The Supreme Court has confirmed what everyone knew all along--but that the White House tried to deny: this is a massive new tax on the middle class. Hopefully Congress will eventually repeal the law altogether and
replace it with improvements that actually address the most pressing needs in health care, especially the need to reduce costs in order to improve access. Until then, Ohio taxpayers could be saddled with dramatically higher costs. Going forward, we
remain committed to minimizing the law's drag on the economic growth Ohio is beginning to experience, protecting the inviolate relationship between doctors and patients, and preserving as much free market competition in health care as possible."
Source: 2012 Ohio Gubernatorial press release, "Health Care Ruling"
Jun 28, 2012
Michael Pryce:
ObamaCare intimidates doctors to withhold treatment
Pryce, who has written a book on the federal health care act and has his own competing health-care plan, said he's participated in two presidential medical round tables. The health-care law seeks to "intimidate and force doctors to withhold medication,
treatment, fluids and nutrition and commit abortions against their will," he said. "There can be no greater crime than to demote the sanctity of life and intimidate doctors to end life based on cost-benefit analysis."
Source: Cleveland Jewish News coverage of 2012 Ohio Senate Debates
Feb 29, 2012
Lee Fisher:
Supports new healthcare reform law
On health care, Fisher supports the new health care reform law, while Portman wants to repeal it, calling it a big government approach and job killer that fails to contain costs.
Source: Dayton Daily News coverage of 2010 Ohio Senate debate
Oct 13, 2010
Rob Portman:
Repeal new health reform; it's a job killer
On health care, Fisher supports the new health care reform law, while Portman wants to repeal it, calling it a big government approach and job killer that fails to contain costs.
Source: Dayton Daily News coverage of 2010 Ohio Senate debate
Oct 13, 2010
Lee Fisher:
Health care reform is both a moral and economic imperative
Just over 20 years ago, my mother was suddenly diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a disease that would take her life at age 58. Though my family had the best care available to us at the time, these moments of crisis stiffened my resolve never to give
up the struggle to ensure every American has access to quality and affordable health care.Health care reform is both a moral and economic imperative. For the health of our nation and the competitiveness of our businesses, we must ensure every American
has access to quality, affordable health care.
- Lee believes we can't turn around our nation's economy without controlling exploding health care costs for families and small businesses.
- Lee has long been engaged in the fight for increased acces
to affordable health care for all Ohioans. Over two decades ago he championed quality hospice care and over a decade ago, he championed a Patients' Bill of Rights. As Attorney General, he cracked down on Medicaid fraud.
Source: 2010 Senate campaign website, fisherforohio.com, "Issues"
Dec 25, 2009
Lee Fisher:
Lower cost; ensure choice; expand coverage; no taxes
These are the core principles Lee hopes to bring to the US Senate:- LOWERING COSTS: Reform must hold down health care costs for families and businesses. Access to health care is meaningless if it is unaffordable. By bringing all
Americans into the health care system, we can lower costs for everyone. Focusing on preventive care will bring down costs by keeping Americans healthier.
- ENSURING CHOICE: Reform must guarantee consumers their choice of doctor and health plan.
Those who like their coverage and/or their doctor should be guaranteed the right to keep them.
- EXPANDING COVERAGE: Reform must provide affordable coverage to every American. Families facing job losses and economic upheaval should never have to worry
about their access to health care--coverage should be portable, continuing even as a worker changes jobs or is unemployed.
- IMPROVING QUALITY OF CARE
- OFFER VOLUNTARY LONG TERM CARE COVERGAGE
- NO TAX INCREASES ON THE MIDDLE CLASS
Source: 2010 Senate campaign website, fisherforohio.com, "Issues"
Dec 25, 2009
Eric Fingerhut:
Fund basic health care for all citizens
Principles which Fingerhut supports regarding health care:- Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms, or state funded care where necessary.
-
Create a discount drug program for seniors based on bulk purchasing of drugs by the state.
- Support patients’ right to sue their HMOs.
- Support patients’ right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied.
Source: Ohio Congressional 2002 National Political Awareness Test
Nov 5, 2002
Bob Taft:
Golden Buckeye Card for senior Rx discounts
We’ll also address the staggering cost of prescription drugs for our senior citizens. Insurance companies routinely negotiate discounts of up to 30 percent off the price they pay for drugs - and some will pass these savings along to consumers.
I will propose legislation to allow the state to select the best possible discount program for all Ohio’s seniors, and make it available through our Golden Buckeye Card. It’s time to give seniors a helping hand on the cost of prescription drugs!
Source: 2001 State of the State Address to Ohio Legislature
Jan 24, 2001
Page last updated: Oct 13, 2021