Forgiving Medical Debt a Key Focus for Physician in Governor Race
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As part of our series on healthcare clinicians running for office, MedPage Today interviewed Amy Acton, MD, MPH, a pediatric and preventive medicine physician who is running as a Democrat for governor of Ohio. Acton, who grew up in Youngstown, earned her medical degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown, and an MPH from Ohio State University in Columbus. She previously served as director of Ohio’s health department.
The interview, which was conducted via email, has been edited for length and clarity.
One focus of your campaign is medical debt. Why is it important and what would you do about it as governor?
We are all one healthcare emergency away from losing everything. That is why, as governor, I will forgive medical debt for cents on the dollar to give Ohioans much-needed relief.
When medical debt goes unpaid, hospitals write it off and sell it to collection agencies for cents on the dollar. Groups like Undue Medical Debt (UMD) operate by stepping into this secondary market and buying bundled debt at wholesale prices. Historically, UMD abolishes $100 of medical debt for every $1 spent. My administration would work with a nonprofit like UMD to do a one-time payment to eliminate medical debt for all Ohioans at or below 400% of the federal poverty level or whose debt exceeds 5% of their household income.
And I will strengthen Ohio’s efforts to crack down on surprise billing and build on the bipartisan effort to end the predatory and overly aggressive collection practices that only hurt Ohio families.
How does your background and experience as a physician qualify you to address healthcare issues if you are elected governor?
Throughout my career as a doctor and public health expert, I have been dedicated to protecting Ohioans. I was honored to work [as the state health director] alongside Gov. Mike DeWine [a Republican] to put public health over politics.
As a doctor, I know firsthand how important it is for everyone to have accessible and affordable healthcare. Across the state, Ohioans are dropping their coverage, rural hospitals are at risk of closure, and drug prices are skyrocketing.
As governor, I will fight to ensure that everyone across the state has access to affordable healthcare close to home. For example, earlier this month, I rallied with nurses and healthcare workers in Delaware County to call attention to the closure of the maternity ward at Grady Memorial Hospital – the only inpatient maternity ward at the only hospital in all of Delaware County.
I have concrete plans to lower healthcare costs, including protecting against attacks on Medicaid and Medicare, reducing prescription drug prices, and lowering healthcare premiums.
You mentioned that you spoke with healthcare workers at a rural hospital. Can you discuss actions you would take as governor to help providers with their specific issues, like prior authorization and low Medicaid reimbursement?
Over 25% of Ohio’s population relies on Medicaid, and millions rely on Medicare. Ohio actually saw the largest percentage drop of Affordable Care Act [ACA] recipients in the country, and we have 31 rural hospitals and clinics at risk of closure because of funding cuts. As governor, I am committed to standing up against attacks on Medicaid and Medicare in Columbus and in Washington so Ohioans can stay insured and get the care that they need. My opponent has said Medicaid and Medicare are a “mistake.” Ohioans cannot trust him to protect their healthcare.
Can you speak more about how Ohioans are faring in terms of their healthcare coverage?
Healthcare costs, from insurance premiums to prescription drugs, are skyrocketing. From February 2025 to February 2026, Ohio saw the biggest percentage drop of ACA recipients in the country — a 33% decrease — because they could no longer afford the coverage. This is nearly triple the national average.
And a new report also shows that recent cuts in funding from Ohio’s Medicaid budget will force more than a half a million Ohioans off the program in the next decade and threaten the closure of 31 hospitals and clinics in Ohio.
How will you increase the number of insured people in Ohio?
As governor, I will help Ohioans stay on and enroll in Medicaid by eliminating unnecessary red tape, shortening approval waiting periods, and eliminating waste and fraud that drive up costs and jeopardize Ohioans’ care. I will also reduce prescription drug prices through Ohio Rx, an online platform that will leverage Ohio’s purchasing power from its Medicaid single pharmacy benefit manager to drive down prescription drug prices for all Ohioans.
What is your position on abortion?
As a doctor and a public servant, I firmly believe that every Ohioan deserves the right to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions, free from government interference. In 2023, an overwhelming majority of Ohioans made it very clear that they trust women to make their own decisions about their own bodies. (Editor’s note: In an election that year, Ohioans voted to include the right to an abortion in the state constitution.) As governor, I will always protect reproductive freedom so that every Ohioan can access safe, legal reproductive care.
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