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Columbus, Ohio- In case you missed it, reporting from WOSU highlighted the disastrous consequences rural hospitals are facing after Republicans voted to cut Medicaid in their billionaire-first budget reconciliation bill. While billionaires get tax cuts, Ohioans in rural areas are at risk of losing access to critical healthcare in their communities.

Republicans didn’t stop at ripping away healthcare from rural Ohioans. Cuts to food assistance are projected to hit rural counties the hardest, especially in Southern Ohio. Instead of fighting to keep Ohio’s rural communities healthy, all Republican Members of Congress voted for this legislation that will harm their constituents.

READ MORE about how rural Ohio is at risk of losing critical healthcare below: 

WOSU Public Media : Medicaid cuts could have big consequences for rural hospitals

• Medicaid, a $900 billion state and federal health insurance program, covers low-income and disabled people.[…]. About 20% of patients who visit hospitals in Ohio use Medicaid, according to the Ohio Hospitals Association (OHA), which represents all of Ohio’s more than 250 hospitals.

• Because of the cuts, 11 of Ohio’s rural hospitals are considered “at-risk” of closing or reducing services, according to the Sheps Center for Health Services, a research center in North Carolina.

• The rural hospitals on the list either have been operating at a deficit for three straight years or are among the top rural providers for Medicaid patients across the country.[…] Most of the Ohio hospitals on the list fall under the category of top Medicaid providers.

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Columbus, Ohio-  In case you missed it, over the past few weeks recently elected Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde appeared on tv across the state to discuss her vision for the party and the opportunities Ohio Democrats have in the next election cycle. 

This year, Ohio Democrats will contest critical local elections across the state and in 2026 we’ll run strong candidates against Republicans who are inseparable from an unpopular, failing administration. Ohioans are ready for a change, and they’ll show Republicans at the ballot box.

Watch more from Chair Clyde below:

Face the State: Republicans are focused on billionaire’s wallets and not average everyday working families. And that is really the bread and butter of Ohio Democrats and Democrats across the country and in our state, so we will be focusing on those issues. It is about affordability. It is about hitting back against these anti working family policies that we’ve seen coming out of Republicans in DC and in our state house. Whether it’s tax cuts for billionaires, whether it’s a handout to the billionaire Brown owners, those are issues that will be talking about and making sure that Ohio voters know that we stand for that. 

Capitol This Week: Whether it’s holding town hall events, recruiting candidates to run for office or breaking down how Trump’s policies affect Ohioans in the news and on social media. Ohio Democrats have been working to talk to voters about how Trump and Republicans and all levels of government are working for billionaires while leaving working families behind. We’re making sure that voters in Ohio know their Republican representatives at the federal and state levels are not working for them and what Democrats stand for as we head towards 2026.

13ABC Toledo: We’re talking about organizing in all 88 counties in Ohio and having a localized strategic approach for whether it’s an urban county, a suburban county, or a rural county, and meeting voters where they are. We’re going to be working on our messaging and making sure that we are […] not just talking about what we’re fighting against or what we’re opposed to, but really laying out an agenda about what we’re for and what our leadership looks like. We’re also making sure we are making up with urban voters, and especially in our black communities where we’ve lost ground, that was and is a real focus of mine. Finally, making sure that we have the fundraising and the funds that we need to be able to do infrastructure building and year-round organizing we need at the Democratic Party to win in 2025 and 2026 and beyond. 

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Columbus, Ohio- Today, Senator Jon Husted voted for the largest cut to Medicaid in history, giving tax breaks to billionaires while leaving Ohioans behind. Whether it’s raising medical bills, putting the nearest hospital at risk of closing, or ripping away healthcare all together, this budget will be disastrous for Ohio and politically toxic for Senator Husted as he heads into a difficult election cycle.

Late last night, Governor DeWine signed a state operating budget into law that would cut state funding for Medicaid if federal funding dropped below 90%. Now, as many as 770,000 Ohioans are at risk of losing their healthcare. Rural hospitals are at risk of closing, making it more difficult for rural Ohioans to get the care they need. 

“As Ohioans struggle to make ends meet, Senator Husted went to Washington to deliver tax cuts for billionaires while slashing Medicaid and putting hospitals at risk of closure,” said Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde. “There’s no denying Husted prioritizes billionaires over his constituents. This vote gave Ohioans all the proof they needed to vote him out in November 2026.”

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Tax breaks for billionaires, gutting public schools, raising cost of healthcare for thousands of Ohioans

Columbus, Ohio — Governor Mike DeWine signed the Republican “Billionaires First” budget into law. Instead of helping Ohio families this budget only helps wealthy Ohioans. Governor DeWine’s refusal to use his veto power for good only further cements his legacy as one of the weakest governors in our state’s history. Republicans will own this disastrous budget and the harm it causes to Ohioans in 2026.

After donating $120,000 to prominent state house Republicans, the billionaire owners of the Cleveland Browns got something in return: millions of dollars for a new stadium funded by Ohio taxpayers. When Republicans in the statehouse realized directly charging voters for a new stadium was extremely unpopular, they jumped through hoops to make sure the Haslam’s still got their money’s worth.

Republicans didn’t stop there. They also gave a tax cut to even more wealthy Ohioans while leaving working families out. They gutted public education, ripped away healthcare from as many as 700,000 people, and more. Meanwhile, billionaires got their tax cuts and a football stadium.

“Republicans just made Vivek Ramaswamy even richer. Instead of supporting Ohio families, the Republican legislature passed a budget that only helps their billionaire friends and special interests,” said Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde. “Ohioans deserve better, and Republicans will have to answer for this disastrous budget in the next election cycle.”

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Columbus, Ohio- This evening, Republicans voted to pass the $60 billion state operating budget just hours after it was finalized. While Ohioans see their bills go up and their quality of life drop, the same Republicans who’ve presided over Ohio’s decline just passed a budget that cuts taxes for the wealthy while taking from Ohio families. 

“Throughout this process, Democrats in the state legislature brought countless ideas to the table that put the people of Ohio first,” said Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde. “Unfortunately, the budget that Republicans passed today only puts billionaires first. It has tax cuts and stadium giveaways for the wealthy while gutting public education and healthcare. Ohioans deserve a budget that works for everyone, not just billionaires. 

“Budgets, at their core, are a collection of choices. This GOP budget chooses to blatantly ignore the relief that everyday Ohioans are asking for and desperately need,” said House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn. “By choosing to benefit the ultra-wealthy while recklessly underfunding our public schools, forcing more local levies, and putting access to affordable healthcare and childcare further out of reach for people across our state, this budget isn’t just fiscally unsound, it’s a deliberate failure to govern for the people of Ohio.” 

“Make no mistake– this is a Republican budget with an agenda clearly outlined to reward the wealthy and well-connected through tax credits, vouchers, and the giving of funds to sports facility owners using Ohioans’ unclaimed funds, without requiring the wealthy to pay their fair share,” said Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio.

While Republicans brag about cutting taxes for the wealthy, there’s no relief for the majority of Ohio families. 

• Republicans just gave wealthy Ohioans a tax break while working families across the state will see no relief as they grapple with rising costs and economic uncertainty from chaos in the state and federal government.

•  Meanwhile, this budget cuts schools, libraries, and healthcare for hundreds of thousands of Ohioans all to give tax cuts to the wealthy and powerful.

Meanwhile, Republicans jumped through hoops to make sure funding for a new stadium for the Cleveland Browns and their billionaire owners made the final cut.

• When it became clear that Ohioans were overwhelmingly against taxpayer funding for billionaire football stadiums, Republicans used political gimmicks to fund it with taxpayer dollars anyway while hoping Ohioans weren’t paying attention.

• In the spring, reporting revealed billionaire Cleveland Browns owners donated $120 thousand to Republicans before making the ask for a new stadium funded by Ohio taxpayers. Even with massive opposition from Ohioans, Republicans had to make sure the Haslams got their money’s worth.

The budget also includes potential Medicaid cuts for over 770,000 Ohioans if current Medicaid cuts in the federal budget remain in place.

• This budget will end Medicaid expansion if the federal government match falls below 90%, which is currently being debated in Congress. Last month, Ohio was near the top in unemployment. Now, Republicans want to rip away healthcare from Ohioans who lose their jobs and Ohioans living in rural areas might have to go even further to find care when they need it most.

• While Republicans at all levels of government drive up costs and Ohioans struggle to make ends meet, the legislature decided to prioritize ripping healthcare away from hundreds of thousands of Ohioans. 

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