Submitted by Friends of Amy Acton

ZANESVILLE & STEUBENVILLE, OH (8-14-26) In the last week, Dr. Amy Acton joined Ohioans in Zanesville and Steubenville to hear firsthand about the struggles they face to afford basic healthcare and share her plans to protect Medicaid and Medicare, relieve medical debt, lower prescription drug costs, and ensure every Ohioan has access to the care they deserve.

See coverage below: 

On the Airwaves:

On WHIZ:

Reporter: “Dr. Amy Acton has stopped by to talk to local residents about how she would lower health care costs and make it more affordable if she’s elected governor…Acton says the highest costs that Ohioans face are in the doctor’s office.”

Dr. Amy Acton: “Every one of us is one healthcare emergency away from losing everything and we actually, we’re putting forward proposals, by the way, for pennies on the dollar. We can alleviate medical debt, we can renegotiate it, that’s a big proposal we have.”

Dr. Amy Acton: “We’re trying to keep people from being kicked off the rolls. Right now, going around Ohio, our rural hospitals are collapsing, urban, they’re all on the brink. These cuts to Medicaid that are coming in January 2027 are going to kick even more people that are working and insured off.”

On WTRF:

Anchor: “Gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton made a stop in Steubenville today, hearing directly from local residents about the issues impacting their community.”

Anchor: “Healthcare access became a major focus, with some discussing the challenges of finding specialized care closer to home. Dr. Acton says one story that stuck with her involved a woman with a high-risk pregnancy who will have to leave Ohio and travel to Pennsylvania to receive the care that she needs.”

Dr. Amy Acton: “Allison, with a high-risk pregnancy, leaving our state to go to Pennsylvania to get healthcare, sticks with me. But we have a real crisis on our hands with these hospitals. We used to have that care for her right here in Steubenville, and that’s what worries me, high-risk pregnancies shouldn’t have to travel.”

Anchor: “Acton says stories like these are among the concerns she wants to address as she continues campaigning across the Buckeye State.”

On WTOV:

Reporter: “Ohio governor candidate Dr. Amy Acton made a stop in Steubenville Tuesday morning, with a roundtable discussion to take a look at health care costs, rising concerns with the economy and job creation.”

Anchor: “Acton made a stop at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Office in Steubenville, where she had a conversation with a number of people, and the discussion focused around health care costs, rising costs for seniors and improvements to the overall economy.”

Dr. Amy Acton: “On day one, we are walking in the door and we are committed to making it all cost less.”

In Print:

Zanesville Times Recorder: Governor candidate Amy Acton visits Zanesville for roundtable

  • Muskingum County was next on the list for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton and her campaign.
  • She made an appearance at the Muskingum County Democratic Party headquarters on Muskingum Avenue Aug. 7, where she took part in a roundtable discussion on healthcare costs and how to lower them. Several community members, like Vietnam War veterans, mine and line workers, physicians and nurses, introduced themselves and expressed some of their concerns.
  • A few days earlier, Acton issued a policy statement calling for a conditional moratorium on data centers in order to “to ensure they cover 100% of their utility costs, exclusively build with union labor, operate with full transparency, adhere to Ohio’s environmental standards, support the needs of local communities, and bring jobs to former industrial areas that have been left behind.”
  • She has campaigned on several issues, including child tax credits, affordable cost of living, lower prescription drug costs, funding for public schools and growing small businesses.

The Herald-Star: Acton brings campaign to 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.
  • “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.”
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • For Acton, finding a way to control costs and make it easier to work your way through medical complexities are important items.

Online:

@amyactonoh: In Zanesville today, I heard what I’m hearing from Ohioans everywhere: health care costs are way too high. I talked about my plan to lower healthcare costs, tackle medical debt, protect access to care, and give Ohio families the breathing room they deserve. As governor, lowering costs will be my top priority. 

@TimesRecorder: Governor candidate Amy Acton visits Zanesville for roundtable

@amyactonoh: It was a privilege to stop in Steubenville yesterday to talk with residents about the rising price of healthcare — an unfair and costly reality that Ohioans all over the state are facing. When I’m governor, one of my top priorities will be to ensure that every Ohioan in the state has access to affordable healthcare. I will make it happen.

@HeraldStar: Dr. Amy Acton has made hearing what Ohioans have to say an important component of her campaign for governor.