Healthcare Costs Top Voter Worries in Cuyahoga County

Six in 10 voters nationwide worry about whether they can afford healthcare, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll, a concern shared by voters who cast early ballots in Cuyahoga County this month.

Juan Wiley spoke shortly after voting at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections in Downtown Cleveland. "The price of everything has gone skyrocket," he said. "Our food is up. Gas is up. Bills are up. Clothes is up. Everywhere you go, everything is up."

Costs are climbing on several fronts. Small group coverage rates are expected to rise 14% next year, marketplace prices are anticipated to jump 15%, and private insurance is set to increase more than 8% on average. Federal subsidies are also set to expire, compounding premium increases. New Medicaid work requirements take effect at the start of the year, and one study estimates as many as 356,000 Ohioans could come off the Medicaid rolls in 2027.

Some voters said the candidates have not addressed how they would respond to those increases. Leslie Barrett, an early Cuyahoga County voter, said healthcare costs are "starting to go through the roof," but added, "I think that they focus more on slandering each other than they do actually telling us what they stand for." Erick Walker, who took part in an early voting "Dance to the Polls" event from the Cleveland Public Library to the Board of Elections, said, "I think as the United States, one of the richest countries in the world, it's our duty to make sure that everyone has access to affordable healthcare."

Gubernatorial candidates have offered different approaches. Democrat Amy Acton has made medical debt relief and lower prescription drug prices central to her campaign and said she worries the new Medicaid work requirements could leave many without coverage. "When people are uninsured, all of our healthcare costs go up," she said on Ideastream Public Media's "Sound of Ideas." Republican Vivek Ramaswamy has focused on fraud, saying on the same program that some home healthcare providers and nursing homes "don't even exist defrauding the system." Libertarian candidate Don Kissick has said he would focus on deregulating the industry.

Joseph White, a political science professor at Case Western Reserve University, said healthcare as a top issue tends to benefit Democrats. "Lots of people are worried about their access to healthcare," White said. "In general, the Democrats have a modest advantage on that issue if you ask people which party do you trust more on this issue. That does not mean it will shape their vote on individual races." He added that he is "shocked that Amy Acton has a chance" and attributed economic fatigue as part of the reason Acton has been leading many polls in Ohio.

White also noted that voters generally remain loyal to their party when casting ballots.