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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.

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  • Kaiser/Harvard National Survey of Americans’ Views on Managed Care

    Report

    A survey of Americans' attitudes toward managed care, including comparisons between consumers in managed care versus those in traditional fee-for-service plans. The survey was designed and analyzed by researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University and conducted by telephone by Princeton Survey Research Associates with 1,204 adults nationwide between August 22 and September 23,1997. A sample of 500 adults in California and 500 adults in Massachusetts were also surveyed. The toplines for California…

  • President Bush’s Budget:  An Overview of Health Programs

    Other Post

    President Bush's Budget: An Overview of Health Programs A new Foundation presentation provides an overview of President Bush s federal budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2002, focusing on its impact on health programs. The budget largely keeps pace with expected growth in Medicare and Medicaid, creates a prescription drug block grant to states for low-income seniors, proposes decreased funding for some public health programs, and would provide either limited or no growth for central programs…

  • Impact of Potential Changes to ERISA: Litigation and Appeals Experience of CalPERS, Other Large Public Employers and a Large California Health Plan

    Report

    The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) currently preempts state law related to the wrongful denial or delay of health benefits to the extent that such laws relate to a health benefit plan sponsored by a private employer. This report examines the frequency, nature and costs associated with the appeals and litigation that state and local governmental employers have experienced. Information was gathered through multiple telephone interviews with individuals with extensive involvement in administrative appeals…

  • Consumer Protection Issues in Medicare + Choice

    Report

    This report describes and analyzes key Medicare+Choice provisions in the Balanced Budget Act and the accompanying regulations related to consumer protections. It explains how the BBA makes significant improvements for beneficiaries in the areas of access, appeals, and quality. It also explores areas that could be strengthened to better serve the needs of the Medicare population, including provisions pertaining to enrollment and disenrollment, information and education, Medigap coverage, and marketing. Report Report

  • Survey of Physicians and Nurses

    Poll Finding

    A national random survey of 1053 doctors and 768 nurses on their experiences with and attitudes towards health plans. The survey provides quantitative information from doctors and nurses about their non-elderly patients, as well as verbatim descriptions of patient experiences with health plan decisions, including doctors' judgments on the consequences health plan denials have on their patients' health. Chart Pack: - Chart Pack Report: - Summary of Findings Topline/Survey: - Toplines Report: - Verbatim Book

  • Alternative Approaches to Liability: Models for Health Plan Liability

    Report

    This report looks at the different ways in which liability is handled in a number of industries, and explores how these models might apply to health plans. The report also discusses health plan liability in the context of the ongoing Consumer Protection debate. Report: Models for Health Plan Liability

  • Beneath the Averages: An Analysis of Medicare and Private Expenditures

    Report

    This report compares Medicare and private health insurance per capita spending between 1970 and 1997, demonstrating that Medicare has done better or as well as the private sector in controlling the growth in health spending. Using National Health Expenditure accounts data, the analysis reveals the cumulative increase in per capita health care spending was lower for Medicare than the private sector between 1970 and 1997. Medicare most likely maintained its cumulative advantage, due to the…

  • How Medicare HMO Withdrawals Affect Beneficiary Benefits, Costs, and Continuity of Care

    Report

    Results from the 1999 Survey of Experiences with Medicare HMOs This report examines the effects of Medicare HMO withdrawals on elderly and disabled beneficiaries who were involuntarily disenrolled from their HMO at the end of 1998. Based on a nationally-representative survey, the report describes new insurance arrangements made by beneficiaries after their HMO withdrew and considers the effects of this insurance transition on benefits, costs, and continuity of care. The study finds that most beneficiaries…

  • Medicare State Profiles: State and Regional Data on Medicare and the Population it Serves

    Report

    Although Medicare is a national program, there are substantial variations across states and regions in terms of beneficiary characteristics, health needs, and utilization of Medicare-covered services. Likewise, there are also considerable differences in Medicare spending and the emergence of Medicare managed care. In a single resource document, , presents state-by-state demographic data on the Medicare population, along with information on health service utilization, spending, and Medicare HMO penetration. It also provides regional data on the…

  • Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard University School of Public Health:  Update on Americans’ Views and Experiences in Managed Care

    Poll Finding

    Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard University School of Public Health: Update on Americans' Views and Experiences in Managed Care The Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard University School of Public Health: Update on Americans' Views and Experiences in Managed Care is based on findings from the April 1998 Kaiser Harvard News Interest Index. The survey was designed and analyzed by researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University. Nationwide interviews were conducted by telephone with 1,201 adults, 18 years…