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Ohio Democrats Try Another Bill that Would Provide Universal Health Care

advocates speak about Ohio Health Security Act
Karen Kasler
/
Statehouse News Bureau
Debbie Silverstein of the Single Payer Action Network of Ohio, Dayton Dr. Kathy Lambes, former Rep. Bernadine Kennedy Kent (D-Columbus), and then Rep. Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) talk about the Ohio Health Security Act.

As they have in each of the last five two-year legislative sessions, Democrats at the Ohio Statehouse have reintroduced a universal health care bill they say would make affordable health care accessible to all Ohioans. The thrust of the bill is not new, but sponsors say the need for it is increasing.

Democratic Sen. Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) says similar bills have been up for consideration for more than a decade.

“We’ve only had one hearing in 14 years, and we had so many people interested that they had to have four additional hearings to get everyone in to provide testimony,” Fedor said.

Fedor says the bill deserves serious consideration because Ohioans rank near the bottom of health outcomes, and many businesses cannot afford to provide health care coverage to their employees. Republicans have long opposed universal health care because of cost and concerns about inefficiency and wait times. Only Vermont has implemented single-payer health care at the state level.
Copyright 2021 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.

Jo Ingles is a professional journalist who covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and life and death issues such as capital punishment. Jo started her career in Louisville, Kentucky in the mid 80’s when she helped produce a televised presidential debate for ABC News, worked for a creative services company and served as a general assignment report for a commercial radio station. In 1989, she returned back to her native Ohio to work at the WOSU Stations in Columbus where she began a long resume in public radio.