What Do the Midterm Election Results Mean for Health Care?
Join KFF at noon ET on November 5 for a special post-election discussion and live podcast taping about what the election results could mean for health policy. 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.
Poll: Cost of Health Care and Gas Top Voters’ Midterm Concerns; Democrats Hold Significant Advantage on Health Care Costs, Cost of Living
Health care costs are tied with gas as voters’ top economic concern, and voters trust Democrats more than Republicans on key issues, including health care costs and the cost of living. Meanwhile, support for Medicare-for-All has reached a new high in KFF polling — though views shift significantly when competing claims from critics and proponents are heard.
Midterm Election Updates
These fact sheets offer background on election-related health care issues. See more from KFF’s Health in the Midterms series.
ACA Marketplaces
More people than ever got coverage through the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces in 2025, but the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits has driven up what people pay and contributed to declining enrollment in 2026.
Medicaid
Major federal changes to Medicaid eligibility and financing from the 2025 reconciliation law are coming, including new work requirements that will affect millions of Medicaid enrollees.
Beyond the data
From Drew Altman: Are Employer Health Costs Out of Control?
In a new column, President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman dissects the conventional wisdom that employer health costs are “out of control.” He writes that “the story this year is not about out-of-control employer health costs—they were moderate—or of a collapsing employer-based insurance system, although it certainly has many problems, including being propped up by a $470 billion annual tax subsidy. Instead, the story this year seems to be a conspicuous shift of premium costs to workers despite a moderate overall premium increase.”
health costs
Workers Now Pay $7,471 on Average Annually for Family Health Coverage, Up 9% or $621 from 2025
The 2026 Employer Health Benefits Survey finds that workers are paying on average $7,471 annually toward the premiums for employer-sponsored family health benefits in 2026, which is up 9%, or $621, from 2025. Including the employers’ share, total annual premiums for family coverage now average $28,303, up 5% from 2025.
aca open enrollment
9 Things to Watch for the 2027 ACA Open Enrollment Period
The ACA Marketplace Open Enrollment season began November 1, bringing higher out-of-pocket premium payments, new eligibility requirements for certain groups, and state efforts to offset premium increases following the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits. Read our analysis of what these and other changes could mean for enrollees.
medicare open enrollment
Medicare Part D Premiums, Cost Sharing in 2027
Medicare Part D is a voluntary outpatient prescription drug benefit for people with Medicare provided through private plans, including stand-alone prescription drug plans and Medicare Advantage plans that offer drug coverage. This analysis provides an overview of Medicare Part D premiums and cost sharing in 2027 and key trends over time.
new and noteworthy
Latest News
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Georgia Helped Inspire the Medicaid Work Rules. Its Own Rules Could Soon End.
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A GOP Congressman Backed Medicaid Work Requirements. His Voters Might Be Exempt.
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With Midterms Looming, Americans Feel Priced Out of Healthcare
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Medicare Drug Plans Are Hiking Premiums While Trump Claims Victory on Medicine Prices
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