Home Health Costs Topics

Health Costs

The MIDTERMS

Democrats Hold a Nearly 2-to-1 Advantage Over Republicans on Handling the Cost of Health Care

Poll: Cost of Health Care and Gas Top Voters’ Midterm Concerns; Democrats Hold Significant Advantage on Health Care Costs and Cost of Living 

With the 2026 midterms about a month away, health care costs remain tied with gas as voters’ top midterm concerns and the Democrats hold a clear edge over the Republicans Party on who voters trust to handle many top electoral issues, including the cost of health care and the cost of living. Two-thirds of U.S. adults now favor Medicare-for-all, a new high in KFF Polling, but support shifts when competing claims from critics and proponents are heard.

New and noteworthy

Americans’ Challenges with Health Care Costs

This data note reviews our recent polling data that finds that many Americans struggle to afford many aspects of health care, including disproportionate shares of uninsured adults, Black and Hispanic adults and those with lower incomes.

Health System Tracker

Is This A Healthcare Economy?

Health care employment has grown faster than other sectors of the economy, with jobs in physician offices, hospitals, outpatient care centers, home health, and other settings increasing over the past year even as the rest of the job market plateaued. 

Cumulative percent change in health sector and non-health sector employment, January 1990 - August 2026

What Are the Recent Trends in Health Sector Employment

Health care employment continues to grow even as hiring across other sectors has plateaued. The health sector added nearly 379,000 jobs over the past year, a 2% increase, compared with just 0.2% growth in other non-farm employment, with outpatient care among the fastest-growing health care settings.

How TrumpRx Brand-Name Drug Prices Compare

TrumpRx prices for brand-name drugs are about as likely to be higher as lower compared to average prices in other wealthy countries, according to an analysis that compares 32 brand-name drugs.

Latest News

More KFF Health News

Stay informed.

Get KFF's latest on Health Costs

Stay informed.

Get KFF's latest on Health Costs

View the Latest: Health Costs

Filter

List Grid

111-120 of 1,618 results

  • Key Findings: Kaiser Health Tracking Poll — July 2009

    Poll Finding

    This document contains the key findings from the July Health Tracking Poll. The survey was designed and analyzed by public opinion researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation and was conducted July 7 through July 14, 2009, among a nationally representative random sample of 1,205 adults ages 18 and older. Telephone interviews conducted by landline (800) and cell phone (405, including 126 who had no landline telephone) were carried out in English and Spanish. The margin…

  • Kaiser/HRET Survey: 2002 State Employee Health Plans

    Report

    Kaiser/HRET Survey: 2002 State Employee Health Plans State employee health plans provided coverage for 3.4 million state government employees in 2002. The Kaiser/HRET Survey: 2002 State Employee Health Plans finds that premiums for state employee health plans increased 12.8% in 2002, similar to national averages. It also finds that state employee plan premiums are slightly more expensive than the national average and that state workers' contributions are less expensive than the average U.S. firm. The…

  • Health Coverage in an Economic Downturn: Impact of Tight Budgets on Families and States

    Fact Sheet

    The economic downturn has strained family finances and prompted some Americans to cut back on medications and forgo preventive care and visits to the doctor. At the same time, the downturn has triggered declines in tax revenue that inhibit states’ ability to meet rising Medicaid program costs as enrollment spikes during economic hard times. Many states are expected to struggle to close budget gaps despite moves by Congress and the Obama Administration to temporarily boost…

  • Cost and Access Challenges: A Comparison of Experiences Between Uninsured and Privately Insured Adults Aged 55 to 64 with Seniors on Medicare

    Report

    This analysis looks at the difficulties uninsured people ages 55-64 have accessing and affording health care in 2010. Four in 10 of these near-seniors report having unmet health care needs or delaying treatment, while three in 10 uninsured near-seniors lived in families reporting problems paying their medical bills largely due to the cost. Seniors on Medicare report problems accessing care at a significantly lower rate than uninsured near-seniors and at a similar rate to near-seniors…

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll — July 2011

    Feature

    Health care, and particularly Medicare and Medicaid, continue to play a role in the national discussion over the federal budget deficit. In the midst of this debate, the latest Kaiser Health Tracking poll finds that Americans of all political stripes see a role for both spending reductions and tax increases as part of an overall deficit reduction strategy. Still, few are willing to support major spending reductions in Medicare, and a large majority believes the…

  • Key Findings: Kaiser Health Tracking Poll — December 2009

    Poll Finding

    This document contains the key findings from the December Health Tracking Poll. The survey was designed and analyzed by public opinion researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation and was conducted December 7 through December 13, 2009, among a nationally representative random sample of 1,204 adults ages 18 and older. Telephone interviews conducted by landline (801) and cell phone (403, including 111 who had no landline telephone) were carried out in English and Spanish. The margin…

  • Assessing Congressional Budget Office Estimates of the Cost and Coverage Implications of Health Reform Proposals

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief explains key elements of the Congressional Budget Office's estimates of the major health reform bills pending in Congress, the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590). Throughout the health reform debate, CBO has analyzed these and other bills and provided projections of the costs and savings to the federal government associated with the plans over a 10-year period, as well as…

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll — February 2009

    Poll Finding

    The first Kaiser Health Tracking Poll of 2009 finds the public is increasingly worried about the affordability and availability of care, with many postponing or skipping treatments due to cost in the past year and a notable minority forced into serious financial straits due to medical bills. Slightly more than half (53%) of Americans say their household cut back on health care due to cost concerns in the past 12 months. The most common actions…

  • Analysis of Focus Groups Concerning Managed Care and Medicare

    Report

    A report and press release summarizing the findings of 14 focus groups held in eight cities nationwide to explore the attitudes and experiences of Medicare beneficiaries in managed care programs, particularly health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and those with traditional fee-for-service coverage, as well as pre-Medicare beneficiaries aged 60-65. A fact sheet on Medicare and managed care is included. REPORT Download

  • Managed Care and Low-Income Populations: A Case Study of Managed Care in Tennessee

    Report

    TennCare represents one of the most ambitious state-level efforts to restructure Medicaid and expand insurance coverage to the uninsured. The case study shows that the rapid change caused considerable confusion for patients, providers, and health plans. The TennCare experience provides early insights into the issues that states will face as they move to enroll more of their low-income populations into managed care arrangements.