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KFF Health Tracking Poll: Health Care Costs and the Midterms

This KFF poll finds that health care costs continue to top the public’s list of affordability worries, even as concerns about gas prices have risen in recent weeks, with two-thirds of the public expressing worry over affording health care costs. Majorities say health costs will influence their vote this election. Voters favor Democrats on the issue, while Republicans hold an advantage on addressing fraud and abuse.

Affordable care act

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Cost Concerns and Coverage Changes: A Follow-Up Survey of ACA Marketplace Enrollees

This KFF survey is a follow-up survey of adults who had ACA Marketplace insurance in 2025. The survey examines the cost concerns and coverage changes of Marketplace enrollees following the end of the enhanced premium tax credits and finds that half of returning enrollees say their health care costs are “a lot higher” and most expect to cut back on basic household expenses to afford coverage.

Health System Tracker

What Are the Recent Trends in Employer-Based Health Coverage? Employer-sponsored health insurance is the largest source of health coverage for people under 65, but its reach is uneven.

How Does U.S. Life Expectancy Compare to Other Countries? The life expectancy gap between the U.S. and peer countries decreased from 4.1 years in 2023 to 3.7 years in 2024 as U.S. mortality dropped.

How Does Cost Affect Access to Health Care? In 2024, about 1 in 6 adults reported delaying or not getting healthcare due to cost, including medical or mental health care.

How Does Health Spending in the U.S. Compare to Other Countries? While the U.S. still spends the most in total dollars, eight OECD nations had a higher percentage increase in per-person health spending in 2024.

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  • Kaiser Health Policy News Index: 2016 in Review

    Feature

    The Kaiser Health Policy News Index is designed to help journalists and policymakers better understand which health policy-related news stories Americans are following, and what the public knows about health policy issues covered in the news. This analysis examines the top health policy news stories in 2016.

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: October 2016

    Feature

    This month’s Kaiser Health Tracking Poll examines top issues to voters in the presidential election and finds that while health care ranks low, voters report being aware of the differences between Clinton’s and Trump’s health care proposals. Findings also include a look at which health care issues the next president and Congress should prioritize, the future of the Affordable Care Act, as well as Americans’ views on the creation of a public health insurance option.

  • Poll: Affording Health Care Tops Texans’ Financial Concerns; Almost 4 in 10 Report Problems Paying Medical Bills

    News Release

    Affording health care ranks at the top of Texans’ financial concerns, with more than half (55%) saying it is difficult for them and their families to afford health care, including a quarter (25%) who say it is “very difficult,” finds a new Kaiser Family Foundation/Episcopal Health Foundation poll of Texas residents. Fewer report difficulties affording other basic necessities, including rent or mortgage, monthly utilities, transportation costs, or food. In addition, nearly four in 10 (38%)…

  • Public Opinion on Chronic Illness in America

    Feature

    The April 2018 Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds six in ten say they or someone in their immediate family have a chronic health condition that requires ongoing medical treatment, and a third of those dealing with a chronic condition requiring ongoing medical care say they or their household have had problems paying medical bills in the past 12 months. This poll finding also looks at how the public views policies aimed at preventing chronic disease…

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: Preview of the Role of Health Care in the 2018 Midterm Campaigns

    Feature

    The latest KFF Health Tracking Poll finds health care ranking among the top issues voters want to hear candidates talk about during their congressional campaigns, with health care cost ranking as the top health care issue for voters across partisanship. However, for many voters, including one-third of Republican voters, a candidate’ position on President Trump will make the biggest difference in how they vote in 2018. This month’s poll also takes an in-depth look at…

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: October 2015

    Feature

    This month’s Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds that the affordability of prescription drugs continues to be at the top of the public’s priority list for the President and Congress, picked by majorities across political parties. Issues specific to the ACA, such as repealing provisions of the law or repealing the law entirely, fall much lower on the list. The survey also probes the public's experiences with drug advertisements. A large majority (82%) report they’ve seen…

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: September 2015

    Feature

    As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services prepares to finalize a plan to pay physicians for discussing end-of-life treatment options with Medicare patients, this month’s Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds that about 8 in 10 of the public favors Medicare and private insurance covering such discussions and about 9 in 10 say doctors should have these discussions with their patients. However, relatively few (17 percent) say they’ve had such discussions with a doctor or other…

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: August 2015

    Feature

    With renewed discussion of the high cost of prescription drugs recently, the August Kaiser Health Tracking poll finds that most Americans feel that drug costs are unreasonable and that drug companies put profits before people. At the same time, the public largely values the role prescription drug companies play, with most saying that prescription drugs developed in the past two decades have made the lives of people in the U.S. better, including about 4 in…