Jon Husted on Health Care: Medicaid Cuts, ACA Tax Credits, and Ohio Coverage Losses
Jon Husted voted on July 1, 2025 for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which CBO estimates cuts federal Medicaid spending by $911 billion and leaves 10 million more Americans uninsured over a decade; in Ohio, KFF projects 340,000 people will lose Medicaid or marketplace coverage.
The Ohio senator also voted against motions and amendments to protect Medicaid and rural hospitals, and on December 11, 2025 voted no as an extension of the enhanced ACA tax credits fell short of 60 votes. He voted to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Mehmet Oz, who run the federal health agencies. He said the bill was “not by cutting benefits off anyone”.
Jon Husted's Votes on Medicaid, the ACA, and Health Agencies
- Husted Voted for $911 Billion in Medicaid Cuts in July 2025. On July 1, 2025, Jon Husted voted yes on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which adds work requirements and new limits on how states pay for Medicaid. KFF's Ohio estimate is that 290,000 Ohioans will lose coverage because of the Medicaid changes, and Ohio loses $33 billion in federal Medicaid funds over a decade.
- Husted Voted Against Stripping the Medicaid Payment Limits. The same day, Husted voted against Kim amendment 2817, which would have struck the bill’s limits on certain Medicaid payments; it failed 48-52.
- Husted Voted Against Motions on Rural Hospitals and Medicaid. On June 30, 2025, Husted voted against the Markey motion on rural hospitals (49-51) and the Wyden motion on Medicaid (47-53), both offered during the vote-a-rama.
- Husted Voted to Let the ACA Tax Credits Expire in December 2025. On December 11, 2025, Husted voted no on advancing S. 3385, an extension of the enhanced premium tax credits; the vote was 51-48, short of the 60 needed. On June 30, 2025 he had also voted against waiving the Budget Act for an amendment to extend the credits.
- Husted Voted to Confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr.. On February 13, 2025, Husted voted to confirm Kennedy as health secretary. Kennedy's department then announced a downsizing from 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees.
- Husted Defended the Medicaid Work Requirement. Husted said on June 29, 2025 that under the bill a healthy adult without young children “you’re going to have to work in return for those benefits now”. In August he added, “It’s not fair for your neighbor to work 40 or 50 hours a week to pay taxes for you to receive generous healthcare benefits and do nothing in return for them”.
- Husted Said the Bill Did Not Cut Anyone's Benefits. Husted said on July 2, 2025, “it’s not by cutting benefits off anyone. That’s not the case. We are preserving benefits for people through this bill.” KFF's estimate puts 340,000 Ohioans off coverage.
- Husted's Office Did Not Respond on Rising Insurance Costs. Asked by the Ohio Capital Journal about the expiring tax credits, Husted’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
What Jon Husted's Health Care Votes Mean for Ohio Patients
- Ohio ACA sign-ups fell 20 percent once the credits expired. KFF found Ohio had one of the largest drops in marketplace plan selections in 2026, 20 percent, and enrollees nationally paid an average of 58 percent more in premiums. Almost 600,000 Ohioans got coverage through the marketplace in 2025, and the Health Policy Institute of Ohio notes that over a quarter of farmers and ranchers get insurance there.
- Uncompensated care will strain every Ohio hospital. Ohio emergency doctors say that as uninsured patients keep arriving, care costs will affect everybody through longer waits and staff cuts, and an Ohio economist warned that rural hospitals may close.
- Ohio loses $33 billion in Medicaid funds over a decade. The $33 billion cut is 13 percent of Ohio’s Medicaid baseline, and KFF's Jennifer Tolbert said that unless states raise taxes or move money from elsewhere, they will have to cut provider reimbursement rates or cut optional services.
Frequently Asked Questions Jon Husted on Health Care
What is Jon Husted's record on health care under Trump?
Jon Husted voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cuts federal Medicaid spending by $911 billion, and against motions and amendments to protect Medicaid and rural hospitals. He voted against extending the enhanced ACA tax credits in June and December 2025. He voted to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Mehmet Oz.
How did Jon Husted vote on extending Obamacare subsidies?
Jon Husted voted no on December 11, 2025 on an extension of the enhanced ACA tax credits, which got 51 votes and needed 60. After the credits expired, Ohio marketplace sign-ups fell 20 percent.
How many Ohioans will lose Medicaid under Jon Husted's vote?
Jon Husted voted for a law that KFF's Jennifer Tolbert said will cost 290,000 Ohioans their coverage through the Medicaid changes, out of 340,000 total coverage losses in Ohio.
What has Jon Husted said about Medicaid work requirements?
Jon Husted defended the work requirement in a June 2025 interview and told the Akron Roundtable in August 2025 that he probably knows “more about Medicaid than anyone in the U.S. Senate”. Ohio economists surveyed after the vote warned that the cuts would hurt the state's workforce: “If people are unhealthy, they will not be able to work”, one wrote.
Last updated: 2026-10-28