In this photo, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Michigan Democratic candidate for Senate Abdul El-Sayed and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) greet the crowd after El-Sayed spoke at The People V. The Powerful rally at the Detroit Opera House on July 18, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez and others joined El-Sayed to rally the crowds. (Photo by Sarah Rice/Getty Images)
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By a margin of nearly two-to-one, voters trust Democrats over Republicans when it comes to the issue of healthcare costs, a new KFF poll shows.
KFF’s latest tracking poll, which looks at voters opinions on affordability, healthcare and other economic issues ahead of November’s midterm elections is good news for Democrats.
On the issue of healthcare costs, 42% of voters trust Democrats compared to just 22% for Republicans. “Notably, the size of the gap between the Democratic and Republican parties on health care costs has increased since April of
this year, when 37% said they trusted the Democrats and 26% said they trusted the Republicans,” KFF said in its analysis.
The poll comes in the wake of Trump administration policies that have resulted in healthcare becoming less affordable.
As one example, Trump and the Republican-led Congress didn’t renew certain subsidies, or tax credits, for Americans who purchased individual coverage under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The subsidies made health insurance premiums more affordable for individuals and were enhanced by the Biden administration and the Democratic-controlled Congress, which passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, allowing more Americans to buy coverage. The enhanced subsidies helped enrollment in Obamacare hit a record and drove its popularity to all-time highs.
“Health costs continue to be a top affordability worry for voters, tied with concerns about gas prices as in recent months,” KFF said in its analysis. “Six in ten voters are worried about being able to afford their health care costs, and about half of voters say it is ‘extremely important’ for candidates in the midterm elections to
talk about the cost of health care – ranking alongside the cost of living as the top two issues voters want to hear candidates talk about in the closing weeks of the midterm campaigns.”
The issue of healthcare costs is on par with voter concerns about the price of gas, KFF’s analysis shows.
“A quarter of voters say they are ‘very worried’ about being able to afford the cost of health care and gas and transportation (25% and 25%,) and an additional third say they are ‘somewhat worried’ about health care and gas costs (35% and 34%),” KFF’s analysis of the poll data said. “These worries outrank voters’ concerns about the affordability of food, utilities, and housing. The vast majority of voters say the cost of living and health care costs (90% and 82%) are ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ important for candidates to discuss during the last pivotal weeks of the campaigns.”
Many Americans, particularly those with employer-sponsored healthcare coverage, are just now seeing their costs for 2027 during the annual open enrollment season when workers choose or renew their health benefits. Industry analysts are reporting some companies are experiencing their highest rate increases in more than two decades.
“Of all the cost-of-living worries hitting voters now, a big health care bill is the least
predictable, and that’s a big reason why health care costs are right up there with gas prices and the costs of food and housing on voters’ minds,” KFF President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman said in a statement accompanying the analysis and polling data.
KFF’s poll data also showed support for a national health plan, also known as “Medicare-for-All” is on the rise with about two-thirds, or 66%, of the public in favor of such government-sponsored coverage. That’s the “highest share since KFF began polling on the topic in 2016,” the organization said.
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