Americans continue to worry about the rising cost of groceries, housing and utilities. But a new national poll shows that health care — not food or rent — has become the country’s top financial concern, a shift that could influence voter decisions in this year’s midterm elections.
About three-quarters of voters say health care costs will factor into how they vote in November, according to a poll released Thursday by KFF, a nonpartisan health policy organization. While the economy remains a dominant issue in most elections, the affordability of health care has taken on new urgency, pollsters said.
“Health care is normally thought of as a second-tier issue, but this year it seems that health care affordability is going to move voters,” said Ashley Kirzinger, a KFF pollster. “The country is looking for someone to take on health care costs.”
The renewed focus comes after months of debate in Congress over whether to extend expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies — a fight that contributed to a 43-day government shutdown. The expiration of those subsidies raised insurance premiums for millions of ACA enrollees, intensifying public anxiety.
But even Americans with employer-sponsored insurance are feeling the squeeze. Over the past five years, the average annual cost of family health coverage has risen 26 percent, reaching $27,000, according to a separate KFF survey. Employers typically cover about 75 percent of that cost, or roughly $20,000, while employees pay the remaining $7,000. Workers are also paying more out of pocket before reaching their deductible limits.
“I think it tells you something about where we are — even people with insurance are worried,” said Ezekiel J. Emanuel, a medical ethicist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania who has advised both the Obama and Biden administrations. Rising costs, he said, are causing people to delay doctor visits or reconsider calling an ambulance. “This is a terrible place for the country to be.”
Emanuel said widespread dissatisfaction could make Americans more receptive to major changes in the health care system. “The dissatisfaction is so pervasive and deep that people are more open to comprehensive reform,” he said.
From the conservative side, Brian Blase, president of the Paragon Health Institute, has also warned about the financial strain on families. In testimony before the Senate Finance Committee in November, Blase said health care costs are “crushing families and leading to massive federal deficits,” arguing that subsidies and regulations protect inefficient providers and stifle competition.
The KFF poll found that 56 percent of adults expect their family’s health care costs to become less affordable in the coming year. About 32 percent said they are “very worried” about health care bills, compared with 24 percent who are very worried about food costs and 23 percent concerned about rent or mortgage payments.
Democrats hold a 13-point advantage over Republicans on health care issues overall, according to the poll, and most respondents said Congress did the “wrong thing” by allowing ACA subsidies to lapse. Prescription drug prices remain an exception, with voters expressing roughly equal trust in both parties.
Still, skepticism runs deep. On every health care issue surveyed, at least a quarter of voters said they trust neither party to deliver meaningful solutions.