Overview
- Two-thirds of adults say they are worried about affording care, placing health costs above food, housing, utilities and transportation in household concerns.
- A majority, 56%, expect health care to become less affordable over the next year, and about one in five report their health costs rose faster than utilities or food.
- More than four in ten voters say health costs will have a major impact on both turning out to vote and which candidates they choose in the 2026 midterms.
- Democrats hold a trust advantage on handling overall health costs as well as Medicaid, the ACA and Medicare, including among independents (35% vs. 15% for Republicans), with a narrower gap on drug prices.
- Two-thirds say Congress did the wrong thing by letting the ACA’s enhanced tax credits expire on Jan. 1; KFF estimates average marketplace premiums for recipients could more than double this year, affecting roughly 22 million who received the enhanced aid in 2025.