Ohio Lieutenant Governor candidate talks healthcare in Youngstown
The candidate for Ohio's Lieutenant Governor seat, David Pepper, who is running on the Democratic ticket with Dr. Amy Acton, who is eyeing the Ohio Governor seat, met with healthcare providers in Youngstown on Monday to discuss healthcare.
Pictured above on the right, Pepper, during that conference, said that Ohioans and Americans as a whole are seeing healthcare costs increase.
"You're seeing it in every single way you can measure. I think there was a poll just the other day that said that half of Americans find healthcare too expensive, unaffordable for them. We are seeing it in recent news that, I think, 120,000 Ohioans dropped off the [Affordable Care Act] exchange because they couldn't afford the new premiums," said Pepper.
On January 1, 2026, monthly healthcare payments increased for people all over the United States due to the expiration of COVID-19-era subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
One Calcutta resident told 21 News at the time that his monthly payments increased from $225 to $1,200 per month.
In 2025, over 500,000 Ohioans were enrolled under the ACA.
During the conference, Pepper referenced an interview that Vivek Ramaswamy, who is running on the Republican ticket for Ohio Governor, was a part of in 2024.
Peppers says that during this interview, Ramaswamy called Medicare and particularly Medicaid a "mistake."
That interview with The Ezra Klein Show, which can be found in its entirety on WVXU's website, a radio station based in Cincinnati, adds more content, indicating that Ramaswamy felt that the two programs were mistakes," particularly Medicaid, particularly the welfare state, without the work requirements attached to it."
Pepper goes on to state that healthcare options such as Medicaid and Medicare becoming unavailable to those in need would also increase costs for others who are not utilizing the programs.
"You rip away Medicaid and Medicare, not only do you rip away the final lifeline from many Ohioans, but as Dr. Acton says all the time, everyone else's costs go up as well when we have to start paying for those health procedures and healthcare. In other words, we all pay more," said Pepper.
Pepper outlined Dr. Acton's plan to reduce healthcare costs, including looking at solutions from other governors who are finding ways to make the most out of Medicaid expenditures.
One particular item that Pepper outlined was Dr. Acton's wish to find a way to keep families from going bankrupt due to health-related incidents and to lower the costs of prescription drugs.
"I think it's very helpful that she is not from a political world. I think people see her as a problem solver. She's just not very partisan. She's a problem solver, not a politician. I think that's exactly what people are looking for, and I think that's why she's gotten a great response all over the state," said Pepper.
21 News reached out to Ramaswamy's Campaign, which issued the following statement:
"Amy Acton has caused more damage to health outcomes in Ohio than any public official in the history of our state. When our state's elected leaders instructed her to correct her mistakes, she quit. Her far-left approach would drive up healthcare costs and everyday expenses for all Ohioans, while suppressing take-home pay and economic growth. By contrast, Vivek's vision for Ohio focuses on real reforms to deliver lower costs and bigger paychecks, not empty promises and government takeovers."
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