Rising healthcare costs are a concern for Ohioans. Here’s a look at where gubernatorial candidates Ramaswamy and Acton stand on the issue. 

With just a few weeks until November’s election, Ohio gubernatorial candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Amy Acton are in the most important stretch of their campaigns. 

The cost of healthcare is rapidly rising in Ohio, and is a serious concern for voters. 

“I do think it’s definitely something that a lot of voters are paying attention to just within that overall affordability, cost-of-living context,” said Brian O’Rourke, healthcare policy analyst for the Health Policy Institute of Ohio, in a recent interview. 

After Affordable Care Act subsidies expired last year, premiums on the public marketplace rose significantly. From 2025 to 2026, data shows that Ohio lost 161,000 enrollees. 

“[Healthcare] has become exponentially more expensive. I know firsthand; I’m on Obamacare. I basically feel like I don’t have insurance. I have this crazy high deductible with very, very little coverage. I know most Ohioans feel the same way,” said Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) in a statement. 

The conversation around the rising cost of healthcare will play an important role in Ohio’s gubernatorial election this November. 

Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy recently secured the endorsement of the Ohio State Medical Association’s political arm. The trade association says it believes that Ramaswamy  has a “clear vision to improve healthcare across our state.”

The endorsement is particularly notable because Acton, Ramaswamy’s Democratic opponent, is a doctor herself. 

The Ohio State Medical Association represents the state’s physicians, with 8,000 active members. 

In a statement, Dr. Gary Katz, president of the Ohio State Medical Association, said that Ramaswamy supports many of the association’s policy priorities. These include reducing government and insurance barriers to practicing medicine, preserving physician-led care, and protecting the state’s medical liability environment. 

Acton responded in an interview to losing the endorsement by criticizing Medicaid cuts under President Trump. 

“My opponent, Mr. Ramaswamy, has said Medicaid and Medicare are mistakes, as rural hospitals right near here are collapsing. This is a crisis,” she said in the interview. 

In another interview, Acton said, “We’re working on health care costs immediately, trying to keep people insured. There are terrible cuts coming to Medicaid and Medicare.”

Acton has also said that she will reduce prescription drug prices, forgive medical debt, and lower premiums. 

Recent polls show Acton with a slight lead over Ramaswamy. The race is far from decided. Both parties are pumping money into their candidates in an effort to decide who will lead Ohio after Governor DeWine’s term is over.