Ohio Democrats

Donate

Uncategorized

What Vivek’s Medicaid Mistake Means for Ohioans 

Columbus, Ohio- Last week, an unearthed video showed Vivek Ramaswamy calling Medicaid and Medicare a “mistake.” Here’s what Ramaswamy’s comments really mean for Ohioans.

  • More than three million Ohioans rely on Medicaid to afford healthcare, and nearly 20% of Ohioans use Medicare. Without it, working families will see their healthcare costs skyrocket and be forced to choose between putting money in their pockets and getting the healthcare they need.
  • 11 rural Ohio hospitals already rely on Medicaid to keep their doors open. Without them, families would be forced to drive greater distances for preventative care appointments and lifesaving emergency care.
  • 38% of Ohio children rely on Medicaid for their healthcare. Families will be forced to choose between skipping critical appointments and putting food on the table. 
  • Medicaid helps 63% of Ohio nursing home residents to afford the care they need. Without it, seniors and their families will be forced to pay higher out of pocket costs or sacrifice their health and safety to stay at home. 

“Vivek Ramaswamy has called Ohioans lazy, moved his business from Ohio to Texas, and says cornerstone healthcare programs that lower costs for millions of Ohioans were a mistake. Ohioans can’t trust him to fight for working families or keep them safe and healthy,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer.

###

Jon Husted’s One Year Anniversary in the Senate: Higher Costs for Ohioans

Columbus, Ohio — One year after being appointed to the United States Senate, Jon Husted’s record is clear: life is more expensive for Ohio families.

Over the last year, Husted has voted to drive up costs for health care, groceries, and utility bills, leaving families struggling. Meanwhile, Husted has repeatedly denied an affordability crisis exists at all — complaining that Ohioans’ “work ethic is broken” and lecturing families to simply “earn more” money to make ends meet.

Ohio Democratic Party Senior Communications Advisor Tony Wen released the following statement: 

“In just one year in the Senate, Jon Husted has made life more expensive for Ohioans — voting to cut health care, drive up premiums, and protect reckless tariffs hurting small businesses and farmers. He’s completely out of touch with the people of Ohio, and they’ll send him packing in November.”

Read more about Jon Husted’s year of higher costs:

  • Husted has dismissed concerns from struggling Ohioans, claiming that he has helped lower grocery and gas prices and that affordability problems do not exist.
  • Husted revealed he has no solutions to actually lower prices, suggesting that Ohioans should just “earn more” money to make ends meet.
  • Ohioans are furious as electricity bills have doubled during Jon Husted’s first year in office. They are expected to increase even further in 2026.

###

5 Questions Vivek Ramaswamy Must Answer Surrounding Growing Personal Bodyguard Scandal

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Cleveland.com recently reported that Vivek Ramaswamy’s family bodyguard was arrested on federal drug-trafficking charges, including conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. Additional reporting found that two other personal bodyguards used by Ramaswamy were not registered with the state. 

Vivek Ramaswamy’s decision to hire a security firm that broke state law and only firing the firm after his bodyguard’s arrest was publicly reported raises key questions that he must answer:

  1. You severed ties with ARK protection only after Cleveland.com’s most recent reporting. Why did you wait more than a week after one of their bodyguards was charged with fentanyl trafficking? 
  1. How can Ohioans trust that you will tackle Ohio’s opioid crisis when your own bodyguard is facing federal charges for dealing fentanyl and methamphetamine? 
  1. You called Medicaid a “mistake” but it funds as much as 60% of substance use disorder treatments in Ohio. What’s your message to Ohioans dealing with substance use disorders who would see their treatment costs rise under your agenda?
  1. How will you make up the funding for local public safety and addiction services that will be decimated by your plan to end property taxes entirely? 
  1. Why do you think you and your staff are above the law? 

Read more about Vivek Ramaswamy’s bodyguard being arrested for drug trafficking and violating Ohio’s security registration laws: 

###

OHIO CAPITAL JOURNAL: ‘Husted took thousands from company that paid Ohio $88 million to settle Medicaid fraud allegations’

Columbus, Ohio — New reporting shows that Senator Jon Husted has taken at least $75,000 in campaign contributions from Centene, a company that was forced to pay the state of Ohio $88 million in damages for committing Medicaid fraud.

While Husted takes cash from big insurance companies, he has voted nine times against lowering health care premiums for Ohio families. Because of Husted’s votes, health care costs have skyrocketed for an estimated 583,000 Ohioans.

See For Yourself: 

Ohio Capital Journal: Husted took thousands from company that paid Ohio $88 million to settle Medicaid fraud allegations

  • Ohio Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Husted has taken at least $75,000 in campaign contributions from Centene, the largest Medicaid managed-care provider in the United States. 
  • Of that, more than $29,000 came after the company paid $88.3 million to settle allegations that it had fraudulently extracted tens of millions from Ohio Medicaid.
  • Meanwhile, Husted has repeatedly voted against extending subsidies for 600,000 Ohioans who are now seeing their health insurance skyrocket. One of the reasons he has cited is fraudulent activity in the program during the coronavirus pandemic.
  • When Centene paid the settlement, then-Lt. Gov. Husted was part of the administration that was in charge of the program that had allegedly been defrauded.
  • The administration of Husted and Gov. Mike DeWine suspended contract negotiations with Centene for a few months in 2021. But taxpayer dollars flowed again after Centene hired an old friend of DeWine’s to lobby the officials on its behalf.
  • Husted’s office didn’t respond to questions for this story — including whether he thinks it’s important to fight fraud.

###

NEW INTERVIEW: Jon Husted Insults Hardworking Ohioans, Says They Have Broken Work Ethic

Columbus, Ohio — In a new interview today, Jon Husted blamed struggling Ohioans for the challenges they are facing, complaining that no one has a strong work ethic anymore.

LISTEN HERE:

Transcript: 

Senator Husted on struggling Ohioans: Our work ethic is broken. We don’t have the work ethic in this country that we once had.

This is part of a long trend of Senator Husted blaming hardworking Ohioans as they struggle with rising prices. 

  • Husted has dismissed concerns from struggling Ohioans, claiming that he has helped lower grocery and gas prices and that affordability problems do not exist.
  • Husted revealed he has no solutions to actually lower prices, suggesting that Ohioans should just “earn more” to make ends meet.
  • Husted defended his friends and donors, complaining about people saying “rich people [are] selfish” while attempting to justify his record of delivering tax breaks to the rich.

Ohio Democratic Party Senior Communications Advisor Tony Wen released the following statement: 

“Jon Husted couldn’t be more wrong. Ohioans are working harder than ever to make ends meet and deal with rising costs, but they’re being screwed by Jon Husted and politicians in Washington voting to make everything more expensive. Jon Husted is completely out of touch with what people in Ohio are actually going through.” 

###