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KFF Health Tracking Poll: MAHA and the Midterms

Chemical food additive and pesticide concerns associated with the Make America Health Again (MAHA) movement are shared broadly across the public. But when it comes to voters, health care costs are a higher priority and bigger motivator, even among MAHA supporters, a new KFF Health Tracking Poll finds. When asked to identify their most important health priority for government to address, far more MAHA-supporting voters identify lowering the cost of health care (42%) than other issues more closely associated with the movement.

Affordable care act

ACA Marketplace Survey Feature Image - Website

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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  • How Health Costs Might Change with COVID-19

    Issue Brief

    As the coronavirus spreads rapidly across the United States, private health insurers and government health programs could potentially be burdened with higher health care costs. However, the extent to which costs grow, and how the burden is distributed across payers, programs, individuals, and geography are still very much unknown. A new issue brief, available in full on the Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker, explores some of the factors driving health costs upward and downward, as well…

  • Visualizing Health Policy: US Statistics on Surprise Medical Billing

    News Release

    This Visualizing Health Policy infographic looks at the experience of unexpected or “surprise” medical bills in the United States. Out-of-network charges typically expose individuals to higher cost-sharing when they use services, and may lead to balance billing – in which providers bill patients directly, and often unexpectedly, at a higher rate. In the past two years, one in five insured adults had an unexpected medical bill from an out-of-network provider. Overall, two-thirds of adults are…

  • New Analysis Finds Inpatient Coronavirus Treatment Costs Could Top $20K for Patients with Employer Coverage

    News Release

    A new issue brief estimates potential coronavirus treatment costs to large employer health plans and their enrollees by looking at typical spending for hospital admissions for pneumonia. The analysis finds that, for pneumonia admissions with major complications and comorbidities, the average total cost is $20,292. In comparison, the average cost for a patient with no complications or comorbidities is $9,763. Average out-of-pocket costs could exceed $1,300 for all admitted patients, including those without complications or…

  • National Health Expenditures per Capita, 1990-2023

    Feature

    National Health Expenditures per Capita, 1960-2023-HEALTHCOSTS Download Source Kaiser Family Foundation calculations using NHE data from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, National Health Statistics Group, at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalHealthExpendData/ (Historical data from National Health Expenditures by type of service and source of funds, file nhe12.zip; Projected data from NHE Historical and projections 1965-2023, file nhe65-23.zip).

  • Annual Increase in National Health Expenditures and Their Share of Gross Domestic Product, 2002-2012

    Feature

    Annual Increase in National Health Expenditures and Their Share of Gross Domestic Product, 2002-2012-HEALTHCOSTS Download Source Kaiser Family Foundation calculations using NHE data from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, National Health Statistics Group, at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalHealthExpendData/ (see Historical; National Health Expenditures by type of service and source of funds, CY 1960-2012; file nhe2012.zip). Gross Domestic Product data from Bureau of Economic Analysis, at http://bea.gov/national/index.htm#gdp (file gdplev.xls). 

  • Average Annual Percent Change in National Health Expenditures, 1960-2012

    Feature

    Average Annual Percent Change in National Health Expenditures, 1960-2012-HEALTHCOSTS Download Source Kaiser Family Foundation calculations using NHE data from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Office of the Actuary, National Health Statistics Group, at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalHealthExpendData/ (see Historical; National Health Expenditures by type of service and source of funds, CY 1960-2012; file nhe2012.zip).