Cincinnati leaders and health care advocates will join Protect Our Care Ohio March 23 to mark the 16th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and raise concerns about recent policy changes they worry are threatening access to affordable, quality health care for working families.
The virtual press conference will take place on Monday at 12:30 p.m. and will feature Cincinnati City Council Member Seth Walsh; Renee Mahaffey-Harris, CEO of the Center for Closing the Health Gap; and Cincinnati residents Diahanna Kinsley and Andrea Oberschlake, who will share personal stories about the importance of access to affordable health care.
Speakers will highlight the ongoing impact of the ACA, which has expanded coverage to hundreds of thousands of Ohioans, including those with pre-existing conditions, and improved access to essential services such as preventive care and prescription drugs.
Advocates warn that recent actions eliminating enhanced premium tax credits have led to significant increases in health insurance costs. Opposition to the Affordable Care Act in Ohio has intensified as rising costs and declining enrollment have raised concerns about its sustainability. Recent reporting shows that after federal subsidies expired, insurance premiums surged and more than 100,000 Ohioans dropped coverage, contributing to an overall enrollment decline of roughly 20% in one year, according to Health Policy Ohio.
Organizers say these changes are forcing families to make difficult choices between paying for health care and covering other basic necessities, and they are calling on elected officials to reinstate the tax credits. Critics argue these trends highlight ongoing affordability issues and an overreliance on government support, while also reinforcing broader ideological concerns about federal involvement in healthcare.
Since its passage, the ACA, often called Obamacare, has played a critical role in reducing the number of uninsured Americans and improving health outcomes nationwide. In Ohio, the law has enabled hundreds of thousands of residents to obtain health coverage and access necessary care, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Advocates also point to the ACA’s Medicaid expansion as a key driver in decreasing income inequality, increasing access to preventive services and saving lives.
However, they warn that proposed federal changes, including significant cuts to Medicaid, could reverse this progress. According to advocates, these cuts could result in millions of Americans losing coverage, increasing medical debt and worsening public health outcomes.
Organizers say the anniversary serves as both a milestone and a call to action to preserve and strengthen the health care protections that millions of families rely on.