- Andy Ogles has consistently opposed federal healthcare policies, including the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), Medicaid expansion, and federal vaccine mandates, advocating for state-level solutions and control (Tennessee Lookout, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Daily Herald).
- He actively led opposition against Governor Haslam's health care expansion plan and fought against expanding the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid in Tennessee as director of Americans for Prosperity (The Tennessean, Nashville Post).
- Ogles has publicly criticized federal healthcare mandates, claiming they disrupt local healthcare services and constitute government overreach, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic (Columbia Daily Herald).
- He has stated that Tennessee and Maury County have strong healthcare infrastructure and sufficient hospital capacity, emphasizing local preparedness during the pandemic (Daily Herald).
- Potential vulnerability: Ogles’ efforts against Medicaid expansion and federal funding are criticized for leaving many Tennesseans without health coverage and costing the state billions in potential federal funds (Nashville Post).
- He has linked personal insurance challenges to the Affordable Care Act, though details of these claims are debated and have drawn scrutiny (NewsChannel 5).
November 2021: Ogles Claimed Federal Vaccine Mandate Would Disrupt Healthcare Services In Maury County According to Columbia Daily Herald, "During the live stream, Ogles argued the mandate will lead to the disruption of healthcare services and the county's medical infrastructure." [Columbia Daily Herald, 11/18/21]
April 2020: Andy Ogles Commented On Local Hospitalizations And Health Infrastructure According to Daily Herald, 'In Maury County, three have been hospitalized with the virus, Ogles said. "We are well situated here," Ogles said on Sunday. "We are very blessed to live here in Middle Tennessee because we have such a strong health care infrastructure but we have to do our part."' [Daily Herald, 4/6/20]
November 2021: Ogles Accused Executive Branch Of Abuse Of Power Over Health Mandates According to Columbia Daily Herald, "'There has been a consistent abuse of power by the executive branch of the United States,' Ogles said. 'No power to regulate health and medical practices was delegated to the United States ... If there is ever a time to unite, stand together and fight, it is now. I will leverage every tool at my disposal to protect this county and all the residents who reside here. I am resolute in my conviction, and I will not relent.'" [Columbia Daily Herald, 11/18/21]
2022: Ogles Supported Repealing The Affordable Care Act And Rejecting Federal Funds According to Tennessee Lookout, "In addition, Ogles wants to turn away federal dollars from the state and repeal the Affordable Care Act, which offers some form of health-care coverage for 35 million people, including 21 million through Medicaid expansion, which Tennessee has refused." [Tennessee Lookout, 10/4/22]
Ogles Spoke Publicly About The Personal Loss But Linked Insurance Difficulties To Obamacare According to NewsChannel 5, "Ogles did speak about the loss of the child at one political event last summer, describing how it was difficult to get insurance to pay the medical bills. He somehow blamed Obamacare, claiming it prevented his health insurance and his wife's health insurance from talking to each other and working out who would pay." [NewsChannel 5, 3/15/23]
2017: Andy Ogles Opposed Haslam's Health Care Expansion Plan In Tennessee According to The Tennessean, "As the director of the state chapter of Americans for Prosperity, Ogles was a vocal opponent of Haslam's health care expansion plan." [Tennessean, 6/20/17]
Tennessee Democratic Party Criticized Ogles For Role In Fighting Medicaid Expansion According to Nashville Post, 'Tennesseans don't need to imagine the harm Andrew Ogles could cause as a US Senator, we already know the damage he has done as the leader of the Koch Brothers organization, Americans for Prosperity. Ogles and AFP led the fight against expanding Medicaid, leaving thousands of Tennesseans without access to health care and costing Tennessee taxpayers over $3 billion,' TNDP chair Mary Mancini emailed in a statement. [Nashville Post (Tennessee), 9/14/17]
2017: Ogles Opposed Federal Solutions For Healthcare And Supported State Control According to The Daily Herald, "But at the end of the day, the solutions that are driven down from Washington, D.C., are destined to fail. You really need solutions driven by the states." [Daily Herald, 9/20/17]
September 2017: Ogles Opposed Expansion Of Affordable Care Act And Gas Tax Increases In Tennessee According to Daily Herald, "With the organization, Ogles fought against Gov. Bill Haslam's support to expand the Affordable Care Act in Tennessee and continued support of the hull income tax. Ogles also fought against the increase of a statewide gas tax for three years." [Daily Herald, 9/27/17]
2022: Andy Ogles Opposed Obamacare Expansion and Government Overreach According to a letter to the editor published in Tennessee Tribune, "Ogles attributes his success with the grassroots to his decades of activism where he has helped lead the charge against Obamacare expansion, government overreach and various tax increases." [Letter to the Editor - Tennessee Tribune, 5/26/22]
2022: Ogles Opposed Federal Funding And Sought To Repeal Affordable Care Act According to Chattanooga Times Free Press, "In addition, Ogles wants to turn away federal dollars from the state and repeal the Affordable Care Act, which offers some form of health-care coverage for 35 million people, including 21 million through Medicaid expansion, which Tennessee has refused." [Chattanooga Times Free Press, 10/5/22]
April 2020: Andy Ogles Stated Tennessee Had Sufficient Hospital Resources For Virus Response According to Daily Herald, '"Right now in Tennessee, when you look out at inventory, at its peak, we will need roughly 1,232 beds - we have roughly 7,800 available," Ogles said.' [Daily Herald, 4/7/20]