KFF - The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.

“...the search for a single top issue through polling questions — whether it’s health costs, or gas prices, or the cost of food — is artificial. People worry about and experience these costs together. There is no top issue, unless that issue is the catchall, ‘cost of living.’” — Drew Altman, KFF Founding President and CEO

From Drew Altman: Are Health Care Costs THE Top Issue for Voters?

In a new column, Dr. Drew Altman, Founding President and CEO, analyzes the polling on health costs as a voting issue and concludes that there is no one top voting issue. He writes: “I have come to the conclusion that the search for a single top issue through polling questions—whether it’s health costs, or gas prices, or the cost of food—is artificial. People worry about and experience these costs together. There is no top issue, unless that issue is the catchall, ‘cost of living.’”

health costs

Watch the Health Wonk Shop: How Unaffordable is Health Care and What Can We Do About It?

Event Date: Jul 21, 2026

During this Health Wonk Shop, panelists considered affordability from a variety of perspectives, including how to define it, how to measure it, and what can be done to address the underlying cost of health care.

KFF Health Tracking Poll: Public Views on Fraud in Government Health Programs

As the 2026 midterms approach, health care costs remain voters’ top health priority, but fraud in government health programs, including Medicaid and Medicare, is resonating with Republican voters, 55% of whom say it’s extremely important for candidates to address.

Watch 3-Part Video Series on Health Care Affordability

Drawing on KFF policy analysis and polling and narrated by KFF experts, this three-part video series looks at the underlying drivers of health care spending, the true cost of employer sponsored health insurance and whether the Affordable Care Act has delivered on its promise.

global health

Donor Government Funding for HIV Drops by $2.1 Billion in 2025 Due to Declines in Funding from the United States, Marking Largest Annual Decrease Since Scale-up for the HIV Response Began

KFF Health Tracking Poll: Ebola & Pandemic Preparedness

Four in ten adults say the U.S. is less prepared for a pandemic now than it was in 2020.

Comparing U.S. Ebola Outbreak Response Capabilities and Practices Over Time

Overview of President Trump’s Executive Actions on Global Health

Quick Fact

Jul 29, 2026

Donor Government Funding for HIV Dropped by $2.1 Billion in 2025 Due to Declines in U.S. Disbursements, Marking the Largest Annual Decrease Since HIV Response Scale Up Began
Quick Take

Jul 29, 2026

CMS’s Decision to End Temporary Subsidies to Medicare’s Stand-Alone Drug Plans Could Mean Larger Premium Increases for Some Beneficiaries Next Year
Quick Fact

Jul 28, 2026

Most Aren’t Confident in the CDC and FDA to Make Recommendations About Childhood Vaccine Schedules

View all Quick Insights

medicaid

Medicaid Work Requirements: Federal Outreach Requirements and State Plans

Medicaid Work Requirements Medical Frailty Exemption: Key Takeaways from the CMS Interim Final Rule

The coverage gap exists because some states did not expand Medicaid under the ACA to cover adults under age 65 without dependent children with incomes at/below 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL)

How Many Uninsured Are in the Coverage Gap and How Many Could be Eligible if All States Adopted the Medicaid Expansion?

This analysis estimates that 1.4 million uninsured individuals in the ten states without Medicaid expansion, including many working adults, people of color, and those with disabilities, remain in the “coverage gap,” ineligible for Medicaid or for tax credits that would make coverage affordable through the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplaces.