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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.

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  • COVID-19 leading cause of death ranking

    Issue Brief

    This updated analysis examines COVID-19's effect on mortality rates, and estimates that in January 2022, COVID-19 was number two on the list of leading causes of death in the U.S.

  • National and State Analysis of the Role of Health Care and Abortion in the Midterm Available through KFF Online Dashboard

    News Release

    Supplemental KFF Questions Added to AP VoteCast Survey Provide Deeper Insight About the Impact of Abortion and Health Care Issues Health Care Costs Were Among Economic Concerns for Voters Motivated by Inflation, and Abortion Was a Motivating Factor for Many Democratic Voters and Women Inflation was widely expected to be the driving issue for voters on Election Day, and poll results bear this out. However, beyond inflation, seven in ten voters said the Supreme Court’s…

  • Hospital Charity Care: How It Works and Why It Matters

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief examines the role that hospital charity care programs play in helping patients who are unable to afford their care. It describes how hospital charity care programs work, the amount of charity care that hospitals provide, relevant federal and state regulation, the role of Medicare and Medicaid in helping hospitals afford charity care expenses, and policy proposals related to charity care programs.

  • Half of All Hospitals Have Charity Care Costs That Represent 1.4% or Less of Their Operating Expenses

    News Release

    Half of hospitals reported that the cost of providing charity care to patients represented 1.4% or less of their operating expenses in 2020, though the rates vary widely from hospital to hospital, a new KFF analysis finds. Based on a review of hospital cost report data, the analysis finds some hospitals provide little or no charity care (0.1% or less of operating expenses at 8% of hospitals), while others provide far more charity care (at…

  • Nine Changes to Watch in ACA Open Enrollment 2023

    Policy Watch

    The 2023 Affordable Care Act (ACA) Open Enrollment period will run from November 1, 2022 to January 15, 2023 in most states, longer in some state-based marketplaces. This policy watch examines nine changes that may affect what enrollees pay for coverage, the size of tax credits for those eligible, and other changes that could affect enrollees' experiences.

  • 2023 Health Insurance Marketplace Calculator

    Interactive

    The Health Insurance Marketplace Calculator, updated with 2023 premium data, provides estimates of health insurance premiums and subsidies for people purchasing insurance on their own in health insurance exchanges (or “Marketplaces”) created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

  • 2022 Employer Health Benefits Chart Pack

    Feature

    This slideshow captures key data from the 2022 KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey survey, providing a detailed look at trends in employer-sponsored health coverage, including premiums, employee contributions, cost-sharing provisions, offer rates, wellness programs, and employer practices.

  • 2022 Employer Health Benefits Survey

    Report

    This annual survey of employers provides a detailed look at trends in employer-sponsored health coverage, including premiums, worker contributions, cost-sharing provisions, offer rates, and more. This year’s report also looks at how employers are addressing a growing need for mental health services.

  • With Government Funding Running Out, Americans Could Soon Face New Challenges in Accessing COVID-19 Treatments and Testing

    News Release

    A new KFF brief analyzes how the accessibility and cost of COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, and tests will change after the current government supply is depleted and the public health emergency ends. The Biden Administration has announced that it will have to end its purchase and distribution of COVID supplies as government funding is depleted. The public health emergency was recently extended for 90 additional days but is widely expected to end next year. These developments…