What Do the Midterm Election Results Mean for Health Care? 

Event Date:

Join KFF for a special post-election discussion and live podcast taping on these topics and more at noon ET on November 5. KFF experts and journalists will provide analysis and insights about what the election results could mean for health policy and take audience questions. Part of the discussion will focus on public opinion survey data on how voters weighed health care as they went to the polls nationally and in the four states with abortion-related ballot initiatives. 

An image of text is an excerpt from Liz Hamel's quick take which reads, ""In an election focused on affordability, Democrats' messaging on health care costs appears to have resonated with voters and may have contributed to the party's gains."

Midterm Voters Give Democrats a Big Advantage to Handle Health Care

KFF’s analysis of the 2026 Voter Poll by SSRS shows midterm voters gave Democrats a 19-percentage-point advantage on which party is better able to handle health care. Voters also gave Democrats a narrow edge on handling the economy (43% vs. 37%), a reversal from Trump’s 10-point advantage over Harris in 2024.


This dashboard focuses on KFF’s analysis of the role health care costs and other health policy issues played in voters’ decisions in the 2026 midterm elections, including in key Senate races. It examines the role of rising health costs on voters’ decisions, views on the Trump administration’s health care policies, and opinions on the government’s role in health care amid discussions of Medicare for All.

This dashboard provides KFF’s analysis of the role abortion played in voters’ decisions in the 2026 midterm elections, with a focus on four states with abortion-related ballot measures: Idaho, Missouri, Nevada, and Virginia. It examines support for each of the measures across groups, including additional questions in Missouri.

Health in the Midterms

These fact sheets offer background on election-related health care issues:

See more from KFF’s Health in the Midterms series.

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