Amy Acton calls Medicare and Medicaid lifelines for millions of Ohioans
Amy ActonDemocratic nominee for Ohio governor, posting on X
Acton writes that Ramaswamy calls Medicare and Medicaid mistakes, that the programs are lifelines for millions of Ohioans, and that as governor she will fight to protect them.
“Let me be clear: these programs are lifelines for millions of Ohioans.”
Original post
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Vivek Ramaswamy said in 2024 that Medicare and Medicaid were mistakes; Amy Acton campaigns on the remark, and his campaign calls the attacks cherry-picked
In an October 2024 episode of The Ezra Klein Show, before he ran for Ohio governor, Vivek Ramaswamy was asked whether Medicare and Medicaid were mistakes and answered, 'I believe they were,' adding 'particularly Medicaid' and the welfare state without work requirements. In the same answer he said Medicare and Social Security belong in a different category. After a clip of the exchange circulated in January 2026, Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for governor, and the Democratic Governors Association said he wanted to take health care from Ohioans. His campaign called Acton's attacks 'blatantly dishonest' and based on 'a cherry-picked 30 seconds from an 80-minute interview.'
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for Ohio governor, posted this on X on October 23, 2026.
Reporting
About this source
Statehouse News Bureau report on Acton's and Ramaswamy's health care positions. It quotes Ramaswamy's Ezra Klein Show answer and two written statements from his campaign.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
In an October 2024 interview on The Ezra Klein Show, Ramaswamy was asked whether Medicaid and Medicare were mistakes and answered 'I believe they were' before singling out Medicaid. Acton's post opens with the line that Ramaswamy calls Medicare and Medicaid mistakes.
After the quotation
In the same post, Acton says that as governor she will fight to protect Medicare and Medicaid and ensure Ohio families have access to affordable care close to home.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case concerns Ramaswamy's 2024 answer that Medicare and Medicaid were mistakes. Acton rejects that view, calling the programs lifelines for millions of Ohioans and promising to protect them, which condemns his remark.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Vivek Ramaswamy
More from this case
Read the full caseRamaswamy's campaign calls Acton's attacks over the remark cherry-picked and blatantly dishonest
“attacks from Amy Acton, based on a cherry-picked 30 seconds from an 80-minute interview, are blatantly dishonest, but sadly typical of politics practiced by a government insider who is desperate to preserve the status quo.”Read statement
Democratic Governors Association says Ramaswamy endorsed ripping away health care from millions of Ohioans
Democratic Governors Association
“Vivek Ramaswamy didn't even need to think twice before endorsing ripping away health care from millions of Ohioans who get care from Medicaid and Medicare”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Amy Acton calls Medicare and Medicaid lifelines for millions of Ohioans". First published: 2026-10-30. Last updated: 2026-10-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/7382-acton-writes-that-ramaswamy-calls-medicare-and-medicaid