Medical debt hit 1 in 4 Americans and 1 in 5 Ohioans last year, even the insured, study shows
A bipartisan Ohio bill capping medical debt interest at 3% faces a December deadline, as researchers warn Medicaid cuts could deepen the crisis.
Poverty
Ohio saw the biggest decline in homeownership affordability, new report shows
Mansfield led the state's slide as home prices jumped 121% since 2020, pricing out firefighters, teachers and mail carriers who once could afford homes there.
Urban, rural hospitals closing at similar rates, study finds
Harvard researchers found 432 hospitals closed since 2010, mostly for-profit or safety-net facilities serving high-poverty counties with limited transportation.
How is Ohio doing amid safety-net cuts? Trump hasn’t released the data
Advocates say the Census Bureau's delayed poverty data and USDA's scrapped food-insecurity survey mask fallout from SNAP and ACA cuts that hit Ohio hardest.
Husted blamed government benefits for ‘out-of-wedlock birth,’ said they ‘drive the father out of the household’
The 2025 podcast remarks preceded Husted's January bill to overhaul federal benefits, part of a pattern of comments on poverty dating back to 2016.
More on Poverty
69% of Ohioans struggle to afford at least one basic need, new report says
Families are finding it difficult to pay for food, housing, healthcare, and childcare, the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality analysis says.
Ohio’s work to lower infant mortality rate shows progress, but certain communities still struggle
Black infants in Ohio die at more than double the rate of white infants, as state funding for maternal programs shrinks and a paid leave bill stalls in committee.
Grants coming to Head Start programs in Ohio, other states after years of funding struggles
The $2.05 million for 17 Ohio programs follows a government shutdown that closed sites and a GAO finding that Trump officials illegally withheld Head Start funds.
Childcare affordability among the top issues for Ohio voters
A GOP bill offering free childcare to workers in the industry has sat in committee for a year, with lame-duck session the last chance to pass it in 2025.
Households face higher heating bills this winter amid rising electricity and oil costs
Home heating costs are anticipated to rise by almost 9% this winter, according to a recent analysis.
Report accuses Ohio-based grocery giant Kroger of frequent overpricing
The Center for Responsible Food Business found overcharges outnumbered undercharges nearly 3-to-1 across 389 Ohio inspections, hitting minority and senior shoppers hardest.
As gap between CEO and worker pay yawns, employers do little to defend the most vulnerable
Institute for Policy Studies finds Low Wage 100 CEOs earn 614 times worker pay while their lobby groups stayed silent on Medicaid, SNAP and ICE crackdowns.
Ohio delays SNAP ban on sugary drinks
Ohio was one of nearly two dozen states working to implement bans on SNAP sales for non-nutritious items such as soda or candy that were encouraged by the Trump administration.
Nearly half of households using Ohio food banks have had to choose between paying for rent or food
The survey also found 63% chose between transportation or food and 52% skipped meals, as SNAP cuts strip benefits from over 100,000 Ohioans.
SNAP cuts could lead to kids losing free school breakfast and lunch
Since 5.6 million people lost SNAP nationally, schools with mixed income levels risk losing federal funding formulas tied to enrollment, even in universal meal states.
More rural hospital closures would mean long drives for pregnant women seeking obstetric care
KFF researchers say Trump's tax law could push more thin-margin rural hospitals to close obstetric units, with Ohio currently among states with the shortest drive times.
Jon Husted voted to cut food aid for hungry families. Ohio now has 50,000 fewer children on SNAP
More than 107,000 fewer Ohioans receive food assistance, including 50,477 fewer children, as new restrictions Husted backed take effect.
Tiffin City Schools offers free breakfast and lunch to all K-12 students in 2026-27
Ohio funds no universal free-lunch program, so Tiffin qualified for a federal option requiring 25% of students already on aid like SNAP or Medicaid.
Ohio bill would create a limit on reimbursement rates for foster care placements
Officials say providers charge counties unlimited daily rates for hard-to-place children, with one Scioto County case nearing $1 million a year.
Despite record low in veteran homelessness, half the states saw increases
Oregon saw the biggest jump at 16% and Mississippi rose 88%, while California cut its homeless veteran population by 624 to lead national declines.
