Medicaid: provides health insurance to 25 percent of Ohioans. The federal government pays a share of the cost and Ohio pays the rest. That insurance is being stripped by the federal government. The State is adding obstacles as well.

When people don’t have insurance, they delay care. When they delay care, they wind up in the emergency room, which is more expensive. That expense is seen in the cost paid by everybody.

I will work with the Department of Medicaid and healthcare providers to improve these vital services. Healthcare is an investment in our workforce, a safety net for our children and those with disabilities.

Prescription Drug Prices: Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) are the middleman between pharmacies and drug manufacturers. They are supposed to keep our drug prices low but through various practices, they have become their own money-making enterprise. I will work for transparency in pricing and billing practices for our medicine.

Abortion access: I firmly believe in a woman’s right to make their own healthcare decisions. Even the most fervent abortion opponent often believes in exceptions for the life of the mother. What level of danger to the mother do we draw the line? Who makes that decision? I believe that it should be the mother. The right to privacy, though not explicitly stated in our Bill of Rights, lives in many amendments within our country’s founding documents. The legislature should not be looking over your shoulder in the doctor’s office.