On Affordable Care Act Anniversary, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Slams Republicans for Unleashing Health Care Crisis on Ohio Families
March 23, 2026
COLUMBUS – While more than half a million Ohioans relied on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to afford their health care last year, Donald Trump and Ohio Republicans have repeatedly refused to extend the lifesaving ACA enhanced premium tax credits, and now thousands of families across the country have dropped their health insurance after seeing their premiums skyrocket by an average of 114%. On the 16th anniversary of the ACA, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde issued the following statement slamming Donald Trump and Ohio Republicans for creating a health care crisis in the Buckeye State.
“Despite the more than half a million Ohioans who rely on the Affordable Care Act to access their critical health care, Ohio Republicans have made clear that they just don’t care. While Donald Trump and Ohio Republicans made the choice to rip health care from Ohio families to pay for tax breaks for corporate special interests and billionaires, Ohio Democrats are committed to fighting for Ohioans’ health care and lowering the high costs that keep Ohioans in every corner of our state up at night. Make no mistake, because of Ohio Republicans’ actions that rip health care away from hundreds of thousands of Ohioans, more people will get sick, rural hospitals could close, and more Ohioans could even die – and Ohioans will hold Republicans accountable for it at the ballot box in November.”
While Republicans refuse to extend these credits, Democrats are fighting to extend them and ensure Ohioans are not priced out of their health care — which the majority of Americans support. According to new polling, two-thirds of Americans say Congress did the wrong thing by not extending enhanced ACA subsidies, including one-third of Trump’s coalition. Additionally, nearly 1 in 3 adults say they are “very worried” about affording their health care bills. Trump and Republicans also slashed $1 trillion from Medicaid, putting 11 rural Ohio hospitals at risk of closure and ripping health care away from hundreds of thousands of Ohioans.
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