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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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  • The California Single-Payer Debate, The Defeat of Proposition 186

    Report

    A report summarizing the campaigns of proponents and opponents to the California Health Security Act (Proposition 186) of 1994. The report includes findings from research commissioned by the Kaiser Family Foundation on the potential financial and administrative impact of the Act on California, as well as an analysis of the paid media campaigns on the issue (see also #1026, Statewide Surveys of Californians on Public Attitudes Toward the Single Payer Ballot Initiatives (Proposition 186), #1027,…

  • 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

  • What Shapes Lawmakers’ Views: A Survey of Members of Congress and Key Staff on Health Care Reform

    Report

    A report summarizing the findings of in-depths interviews conducted with Members of Congress and their staff who were actively involved in the health care reform debate about their opinions about what factors influenced the debate and shaped their views. The report finds that, among media sources, talk radio had the greatest influence in the debate and that public opinion trailed only Administration failures in terms of perceived influence on the debate's outcome. REPORT Download

  • HIV and Managed Care, Special Supplement to JAIDS

    Other Post

    HIV and Managed Care, Special Supplement to JAIDS Health policy and public health experts examine the politics, practice, and special considerations of providing AIDS/HIV care under a managed care health system. This work was published as a special supplement to JAIDS, the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes and Human Retrovirology, and produced as part of the Kaiser Forums program, an ongoing series of issue-specific briefings at which policy makers, health experts, practitioners, and others…

  • The New American Electorate and Health Reform

    Poll Finding

    An analysis of the electorate and health reform that considers how American voters' values influenced their support or opposition toward health reform proposals and how those attitudes shifted over the course of the debate.

  • 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.

  • Managed Care And Low-Income Populations: A Case Study of Managed Care in Oregon

    Report

    To gather early insights and timely information for state and federal policymakers concerning how the movement to managed care is affecting the poor and their access to care, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and The Commonwealth Fund are jointly sponsoring case studies and population surveys in California, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, and Tennessee. This case study describes the first year's experience of Oregon's Initiative, the Oregon Health Plan (OHP). It is designed to furnish…

  • National Election Night Survey of Voters, 1994

    Poll Finding

    Among Issues, Voters See Health Reform As Top Priority for New Congress But Reject Major Overhaul of System For More Modest Approach Embargoed for release: 12:00 p.m. EST Tuesday, November 15, 1994 For further information contact: Matt James or Tina Hoff National Election Night Survey Also Finds: Voters Support Spending Cuts to Reduce Deficit in Theory, But Not in Practice When Specific Budget Areas Are Proposed Menlo Park, CA -- A Kaiser/Harvard election night survey…

  • Statewide Surveys of Californians on Public Attitudes Toward the Single Payer Ballot Initiatives (Proposition 186)

    Other Post

    California Election Night Survey On Ballot Initiatives Anti-government Mood Defeats Proposition 186 A Perception That Undocumented Persons Use Costly Services Drives Vote For Proposition 187 Embargoed for release: 12:00 p.m. EST, Tuesday, November 15, 1994 For more information contact: Matt James or Tina Hoff Menlo Park, CA -- A Kaiser/Harvard survey of Californians in the 1994 election has found that the principal reason voters rejected Proposition 186, the state single payer initiative, was their concern…