Healthcare access and affordability in Ohio
The healthcare access and affordability series includes data and analysis about the current challenges facing working Ohioans and examines how recent policy changes, such as the federal reconciliation bill (HR 1) and the state budget bill (HB 96) will impact access to care and affordability in Ohio.
Background
For many Ohioans, the cost of basic necessities — such as housing, childcare, food, transportation and health care — is outpacing their income. The median household income in Ohio is $67,769, lagging below the national median of $77,719. Simultaneously, the cost of necessities continues to rise, particularly health care. Total healthcare spending rose 7.5% in 2023 alone, putting an increasing burden on Ohio families.
Health care expenses do not just constrain the budgets of Ohio families. When individuals must choose between health care and other living expenses, it can have significant long-term financial and health consequences. Approximately one in 10 Ohioans described being unable to see a doctor because of cost. However, this proportion varies substantially across household income levels.
Recent state and federal policy changes are likely to be consequential for health care affordability in Ohio, especially among people enrolled in Medicaid and the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace plans (see HPIO’s fact sheet on state and federal policy changes below). Given the high healthcare costs and challenging situations that many Ohio families already face, policy changes impacting insurance access and out-of-pocket spending may continue to exacerbate financial insecurity and disparities across different communities.
Throughout Spring 2025, HPIO released a series of briefs, collectively called the 2025 Ohio Medicaid Expansion Study. The study examined the impact that eliminating Medicaid expansion coverage could have on Ohioans if the federal government reduced its contribution to support Medicaid Expansion. While Ohio’s Medicaid Expansion will remain in place for now, two recently passed pieces of legislation (HR 1, the federal reconciliation bill sometimes referred to as the “Big Beautiful Bill” and Ohio HB 96, the biennial state budget bill) could significantly impact healthcare access and affordability in Ohio.
Briefs in the series
- Fact sheet: Major federal and Ohio healthcare access and affordability policy changes
- Data snapshot: Healthcare affordability challenges for working Ohioans [COMING SOON]
- Data snapshot: Access to care for immigrants in Ohio [COMING SOON]
- Policy explainer: Medicaid work requirements [COMING SOON]
- Policy explainer: Medicaid cost sharing [COMING SOON]
- Policy explainer: Immigrant insurance access [COMING SOON]
- Policy explainer: Medicaid financing [COMING SOON]
