Acton Focuses On Health Care Costs During Steubenville Stop
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STEUBENVILLE -- Dr. Amy Acton has made hearing what Ohioans have to say an important component of her campaign for governor.
"I’ve been on the ground quite literally for two-and-a-half years. How I was trained in my work in medicine, and preventive medicine, is that the community is your patient. So, I’m used to listening and hearing from people," Acton said Tuesday during an interview session after she had conducted a roundtable discussion about health care.
Six area residents shared their concerns about a wide range of issues, ranging from the cost of prescription medicine to the lack of affordable services and the sparse availability of specialized care without having to travel long distances.
"What you saw here is what I’m seeing all over Ohio. People are showing up all across Ohio, and it’s not about party. They’re sharing stories just like this," Acton said while speaking in the conference room at the IBEW Local 246 headquarters on North Fourth Street. "We know that coming out of the 2024 election cycle people thought people were not listening to them."
Acton is the Democratic candidate in the Nov. 3 election that will decide who will succeed two-term Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who is prohibited from running again because of term limits. A Youngstown native, Acton served as director of the state’s Department of Health under DeWine from 2019-2020.
She is running against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. Most polls see the race as a dead heat heading into the heart of the campaign season.
"You start to see a pattern," Acton said. "The pattern we’re hearing here is that the cost of living is hurting people. They are doing everything right. People are working harder than they ever have, but it just doesn’t add up. The math doesn’t add up when the rent is half of your paycheck, let alone being able to buy a house."
Frustrations about the cost of medications and the difficulties of finding the lowest cost were among the topics discussed during the roundtable. Debbie Woods of Rayland said she has created a spreadsheet that shows her where the drugs she needs are available at the lowest possible price. Her husband, Mel, said the cost of obtaining health care can make people delay the decision to be treated.
"Sometimes you put things off, and you say I’ll just wait," said Mel Woods, who is the financial secretary for Local 1304 of the United Mine Workers of America.
Acton said that one of the things she would do right after taking office is establish a program called Ohio Rx, which would do some of the comparison work for Ohioans and lower drug costs. She added that she has noticed during her work as a physician and in public health that people need more navigators.
Acton said that as governor she would work with governors from other states of both parties to push back on the expected Medicaid cuts that are coming next year. She added she is committed to lowering the cost of living for Ohioans and plans to take executive action to begin work toward making that happen on her first day in office.
In addition to the prescription plan, that would include a child tax credit and an earned income tax credit. She added that by following plans that have been established elsewhere, she would be able to eliminate the medical debt of Ohioans for pennies on the dollars that are owed.
"We’re going to work with every sector to solve the hardest problems we face around housing, around energy and around our property taxes. We have a great property tax relief plan and immediate relief through an expanded homestead exemption," Acton explained.
The Ramaswamy campaign said Tuesday afternoon that Acton’s plans to get the state more involved in health care were misguided.
"Amy Acton has caused more damage to health outcomes than any other public official in the history of our state, and she can’t be trusted to lead anything again," said campaign spokesman Evan Machan. "Her liberal, big-government approach would drive up health care costs and everyday expenses for all Ohioans, while hurting take-home pay and economic growth.
"Vivek Ramaswamy will put Ohioans first, cracking down on Medicaid fraud, cutting bureaucratic red tape and returning savings to Ohioans through lower health care costs, not simply sowing empty promises," he added.
During the roundtable discussion, Mitch Basich of Adena, president of UMWA Local 1304, described issues he and his family had with finding the right sources of help for his autistic grandson. Candy and Carmen DeStefano of Wintersville also expressed their frustrations with the high cost of some prescriptions.
Carmen DeStefano, who worked at Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel and its successor companies for 47 years and served as a representative with the former Local 1190 of the United Steelworkers, said he continues to help fellow retirees try to work their way through the health care system.
Allison Boston of New Alexandria, who is 23 weeks pregnant with her second child, said she has to travel nearly an hour to Washington, Pa., to receive specialized care that is not available locally.
Acton’s stop in Steubenville was the second in as many days for a statewide Democratic candidate. Sherrod Brown, who is running against Sen. Jon Husted in an attempt to return to the U.S. Senate, held a meet-and-greet Monday in the auditorium at the IBEW hall. Eddie Abdalla, chairman of the Jefferson County Democratic Party, said those visits are important.
"Health care touches every one of us, whether it’s for ourselves, our children, our parents or someone we love, which is why Amy Acton’s roundtable in Steubenville was so important," Abdalla said. "She not only understands the challenges Ohio families are facing with affordability, access and quality care, she has practical solutions to address them.
"Her opponent would not spend this kind of time talking about such an issue with members of our community," he continued. "The Jefferson County Democratic party is proud to bring leaders like Acton to the Ohio Valley to listen to our community and help build a health care system that works for everyone."
For Acton, finding a way to control costs and make it easier to work your way through medical complexities are important items.
"My electric bill went up $140 last summer," she said. "My husband’s an elementary school teacher and we notice it. We notice when property taxes are going up. Everyone’s doing everything right and it’s not going to add up. And then these health care costs, which we focused on today. You know, every one of us is one health care emergency away from losing everything we have ever worked for.
"There are subtleties in it that we hear here about just how to navigate the system when you have it, so this is the subtlety," she added. "I love listening and I’ll always be doing it as governor. I will be on the road as much as I have been."