On Wednesday morning, Donald Trump is heading to the Cincinnati area to gaslight residents about lowering prescription drug costs. In reality, families across Ohio and the U.S. are suffering under an unprecedented affordability crisis that is the direct result of Trump’s failed policies. For working Cincinnatians, health care costs are skyrocketing, and the math just isn’t adding up. These cost hikes are the direct result of Trump and Republicans ripping away Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits from 22 million Americans, causing premiums to more than double and slashing Medicaid by over a trillion dollars to fund tax breaks for billionaires. Now, health insurance premiums are spiking by hundreds of dollars, drug prices are increasing, hospitals are closing, and both Buckeyes and Bluegrass State residents are being forced to make impossible choices between paying for health coverage and other basic needs like rent and groceries — while Trump’s billionaire buddies cash in with some of the biggest tax breaks in history.
BY THE NUMBERS: Trump’s War on Health Care in Ohio & Kentucky
- Thanks to GOP premium hikes, 107,000 Ohioans and 13,000 Kentuckyans will lose their health care coverage entirely this year alone, including small business owners, farmers, and older adults.
- More than 110,000 Ohioans and thousands of Kentuckyans have already dropped their ACA coverage for 2026, resulting in a nearly 25 percent decline and a 13 percent decline, respectively, in enrollment compared to 2025 after Trump and Republicans ripped away tax credits.
- Premiums for more than 500,000 Ohioans receiving ACA tax credits are increasing by an average of 137 percent this year:
- A 45-year-old in Ohio making $64,000 will see their average annual premium costs rise by $1,516 to hit $6,956 this year.
- A 60-year-old couple in Ohio making $85,000 will see their average annual premium costs rise by $18,521 to hit $26,146 this year.
- A family of four in Ohio making $130,000 will see their average annual premium costs rise by $8,673 to hit $19,682 this year.
- Premiums for nearly 80,000 Kentuckyans receiving ACA tax credits are increasing by an average of 111 percent this year.
- Ohio hospitals alone are expected to lose over $1 billion annually, and Kentucky hospitals are expected to lose over $700 billion. 29 Ohio hospitals and clinics and 38 Kentucky hospitals and clinics are closing, have already announced cuts, or are at risk of closure in the wake of the Trump-GOP bill.
- Now, thanks to Republicans gutting the premium tax credits and hiking premiums, providers in Ohio will lose an additional $363 million in funding and face a 10 percent spike in uncompensated care demand; Kentucky providers will lose $56 million.
Trump and Republicans Are Gutting Ohio and Kentucky’s Health Care Infrastructure
Trump Is Killing Manufacturing Jobs Nationwide as Ohio Drug Manufacturers Announce Mass Layoffs and Shut Down. In Trump’s first year, manufacturing jobs have declined nationwide. Ohio’s manufacturing sector is a top economic driver in the state, supporting over 680,000 jobs and generating nearly $140 billion in state GDP — nearly a fifth of state economic output. Pharmaceutical manufacturing is a significant contributor and has been shedding jobs. A central Ohio biotechnology company shut down in April, killing 200 jobs. Sarepta Therapeutics announced mass layoffs in July, killing 80 jobs in Columbus.
Ohio Hospitals and Clinics Are Already Folding Under the Weight of Trump’s Health Care Cuts. Across Ohio, hospitals and clinics are folding under the weight of Trump and the GOP’s massive $1 trillion cut to Medicaid. 1 in 10 rural hospitals that remain open in Ohio are already at risk of closure. Now, 14 Ohio hospitals and clinics are at-risk, four have announced cuts, three wards have closed, and eight have closed their doors altogether, including:
- AT-RISK: Southern Ohio Medical Center
- AT-RISK: Wayne Hospital Company
- AT-RISK: East Liverpool City Hospital
- AT-RISK: Coshocton Regional Medical Center
- AT-RISK: Twin City Hospital
- AT-RISK: Harrison Community Hospital
- AT-RISK: Bucyrus Community Hospital
- AT-RISK: Holzer Medical Center Jackson (Hospital)
- AT-RISK: Galion Community Hospital
- AT-RISK: Adams County Regional Medical Center (Hospital)
- AT-RISK: Fayette County Memorial Hospital
- AT-RISK: CareCore at Mary Scott (Facility)
- AT-RISK: Englewood Health and Rehab (Clinic)
- AT-RISK: Garden Court Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (Facility)
- CUTS ANNOUNCED: UC Health (Hospital
- CUTS ANNOUNCED: MetroHealth (Hospital)
- CUTS ANNOUNCED: UC Health (Hospital)
- CUTS ANNOUNCED: Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio (Clinic)
- WARD CLOSED: Soin Medical Center – Labor & Delivery Unit (Ward)
- WARD CLOSED: MetroHealth Cleveland Heights Medical Center – Psychiatric Emergency Department (Ward)
- WARD CLOSED: The Dental Clinic at Old Brooklyn Medical Center (Ward)
- CLOSED: Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio – Springfield (Clinic)
- CLOSED: Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio – Hamilton (Clinic)
- CLOSED: Broadview Heights Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy (Clinic)
- CLOSED: Medina Health Center (Clinic)
- CLOSED: MetroHealth Rocky River Medical Offices (Clinic)
- CLOSED: MetroHealth State Road Family Practice (Clinic)
- CLOSED: MetroHealth Physical Therapy at West Shore Family YMCA (Clinic)
- CLOSED: Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio – Franklinton (Clinic)
Kentucky Hospitals and Clinics Are Already Folding Under the Weight of Trump’s Health Care Cuts. Kentucky is facing among the highest numbers of rural hospital closures in the wake of Trump and the GOP’s massive $1 trillion cut to Medicaid. 1 in 4 rural hospitals that remain open in Kentucky are already at risk of closure. Now, 35 Kentucky hospitals and clinics are at-risk, one has announced cuts, and two are closing wards, including:
- AT-RISK: AdventHealth Manchester
- AT-RISK: Baptist Health Corbin
- AT-RISK: Baptist Health Madisonville
- AT-RISK: Barbourville Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) Hospital
- AT-RISK: Bourbon Community Hospital
- AT-RISK: Carroll County Memorial Hospital
- AT-RISK: Casey County Hospital
- AT-RISK: Clark Regional Medical Center
- AT-RISK: Deaconess Henderson Hospital
- AT-RISK: Fleming County Hospital
- AT-RISK: Fort Logan Hospital
- AT-RISK: Harlan Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) Hospital
- AT-RISK: Highlands Regional Medical Center
- AT-RISK: Jane Todd Crawford Hospital
- AT-RISK: Kentucky River Medical Center
- AT-RISK: Marcum & Wallace Memorial Hospital
- AT-RISK: Mary Breckinridge Hospital
- AT-RISK: McDowell Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) Hospital
- AT-RISK: Middlesboro Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) Hospital
- AT-RISK: Our Lady of the Way Hospital
- AT-RISK: Owensboro Health Twin Lakes Medical (Hospital)
- AT-RISK: Pineville Community Health Center
- AT-RISK: Russell County Hospital
- AT-RISK: Saint Joseph Berea Hospital
- AT-RISK: Saint Joseph Mount Sterling Hospital
- AT-RISK: Spring View Hospital
- AT-RISK: St. Claire Medical Center
- AT-RISK: T.J. Samson Community Hospital
- AT-RISK: The Medical Center At Caverna
- AT-RISK: The Medical Center Of Albany
- AT-RISK: Three Rivers Medical Center
- AT-RISK: TJ Health Columbia (Hospital)
- AT-RISK: Tug Valley Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) Hospital
- AT-RISK: Whitesburg Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) Hospital
- AT-RISK: Horizon Pace Glasgow (Senior Center)
- CUTS ANNOUNCED: UofL Health (Hospital)
- WARD CLOSED: Ephraim McDowell Fort Logan Hospital – Birthing Center
- WARD CLOSED: UofL Shelbyville Hospital – ICU
Trump’s Pity Rural Health Fund Won’t Cover His Massive Cuts to Rural Health Care Infrastructure. Shortly after Republicans slashed Medicaid, state leaders in Ohio and Kentucky requested grant funding from the Trump administration to shore up rural health care in anticipation of slashed budgets and closed clinics. The federal government responded by giving the two states a pittance that will not make up for federal budget cuts, and falls short of covering budget discrepancies by billions of dollars. To make matters worse, the Trump-GOP bill’s vague language offers no guarantees that the money will go to the hospitals that need it the most. The temporary grant fails to address the long-term financial fallout from Medicare and Medicaid underpaying providers for the cost of providing care.