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“...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

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.”

New and noteworthy

How Unaffordable is Health Care and What Can We Do About It?

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On Tuesday, July 21, three experts joined Health Wonk Shop series moderator Larry Levitt in an hour-long discussion of health care affordability. During the discussion, panelists considered affordability from a variety of perspectives, including how to define affordability and the question of affordability for whom, how to measure it, and what can be done to address affordability and the underlying cost of health care.

Health System Tracker

Among adults 18 - 64 with private insurance, mental health and substance use treatment accounted for 10% of all overnight stays at hospitals or other medical facilities in 2023.

Cost and Utilization of Inpatient Mental Health and Substance Use Treatment This analysis describes the most common diagnoses for inpatient treatment and total associated costs.

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 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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  • Web Briefing for Media: 2018 Employer Health Benefits Survey

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    The Kaiser Family Foundation held a reporters-only web briefing on Oct. 3, 2018, to release the 2018 benchmark Employer Health Benefits Survey. This 20th annual survey provides a detailed look at the current state of employer-based coverage and trends in private health insurance for both large and small firms. Key findings examine average premiums for workers and employers and their rate of increase; average deductibles, drug co-payments and other cost sharing; the share of firms…

  • Health Care on the Brink of the Fiscal Cliff

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    The Alliance for Health Reform and the Kaiser Family Foundation present a November 16 briefing to discuss the components of this key policy crossroads with a particular emphasis on the implications for health programs and the health care industry. Automatic cuts would not apply to Medicaid, but Medicare providers would experience 2 percent payment cuts. The reductions would likely be larger for discretionary health programs, such as those funded as part of the National Institutes…

  • Health Care After the Supreme Court Decision: What’s Next?

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    The Alliance for Health Reform and the Kaiser Family Foundation discuss the recent Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of the health reform law. Panelists explore such questions as: What does the court's ruling mean for those without health insurance? Will states that choose to participate in the Medicaid expansion be ready to cover nearly all non-disabled adults under age 65 with household incomes at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level as…

  • Trends in Health Insurance Coverage in the U.S.: The Impact of the Economy

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    The rising number of uninsured, who they are and how they might obtain health insurance coverage were much debated during the consideration and passage of health reform in the last year. Panelists at this briefing examined the recent health insurance coverage numbers and trends, what they mean, who the newly uninsured are and the impact of being uninsured. They also reviewed what states are doing during the current economic climate and how they are preparing…

  • Oral Health: Putting Teeth into the Health Care System

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    The Alliance for Health Reform and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation sponsored an August 17 briefing to discuss oral health coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). While PPACA ensures dental coverage for children, challenges remain to improve dental health access and coverage for adults. Speakers will explore such questions as: With 15 percent of the U.S. population living in dental “Health Professional Shortage Areas,” how can dental workforce shortages be addressed?…

  • The State of Retiree Health Benefits: Historical Trends and Future Uncertainties

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    Tricia Neuman, Vice President and Director of the Medicare Policy Project for the Kaiser Family Foundation, testified on Monday, May 17, at a U.S. Senate Committee on Aging hearing on issues relating to retiree health coverage, "Access to Adequate Health Insurance: How Does the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's Recent Rule Affect Retiree Health Benefits?" Testimony (.pdf) Webcast of Hearing

  • KFF Health Tracking Poll September 2024: Harris v. Trump on Key Health Care Issues

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    Prior to the first fall presidential debate, a growing share of voters see the election as a referendum on abortion access, and Vice President Harris holds a strong advantage over former President Trump on the issue. The economy and inflation remain voters' top issue, and many want to hear the candidates address health care costs.

  • KFF Health Tracking Poll May 2024: The Public’s Use and Views of GLP-1 Drugs

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    KFF’s latest Health Tracking Poll examines the public’s views and use of an an increasingly popular class of prescription drugs used for weight loss and to treat diabetes or prevent heart attacks or strokes. The poll finds 12% of adults report having taken one of these GLP-1 drugs, which include Ozempic, Webovy and Mounjaro. This includes 6% who say they are currently taking one of the drugs.

  • Health Care Costs and Affordability

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    This Health Policy 101 chapter explores trends in health care costs in the U.S. and the factors that contribute to this spending. It also examines how health care spending varies across the population, the impact of costs on care affordability and individuals' overall financial vulnerability.