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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. 

U.S. Health Spending Is Expected to Reach $9 Trillion by 2034

How Much is Health Spending Expected to Grow?

This chart collection explores how much health spending is expected to grow in the coming years, with a look at growth in prescription drug spending, out-of-pocket spending, and related trends.

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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  • Corporate health costs don’t look like a crisis

    From Drew Altman

    n this Axios column, Drew Altman presents a puzzle around corporate health costs: companies are talking like there is a crisis, but new data doesn’t really show it.

  • Who Gets Unexpected Medical Bills?

    Feature

    Source Kaiser Health Tracking Poll – Late Summer 2018: The Election, Pre-Existing Conditions, and Surprises on Medical Bills

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll – Late Summer 2018: The Election, Pre-Existing Conditions, and Surprises on Medical Bills

    Feature

    The latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll continues to find pre-existing conditions as a widespread concern with most Americans saying it is very important that the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) protections for people with pre-existing conditions remain law. With health care costs continuing to be a major topic in the 2018 campaigns, the poll looks at the public’s experiences with unexpected medical bills and finds that this tops a list of possible problems people could face.…

  • Poll: The ACA’s Pre-Existing Condition Protections Remain Popular with the Public, including Republicans, As Legal Challenge Looms This Week

    News Release

    Public Not Confident in President Trump’s Calls on Drug Companies to Lower Prices As a federal court considers a challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s constitutionality, the public, including most Republicans, wants protections for people with pre-existing conditions preserved, the latest Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll finds. Large majorities of Americans say it is “very important” to retain the ACA provisions that prevent insurance companies from denying coverage based on a person’s medical history (75%)…

  • An analysis of out-of-network claims in large employer health plans

    Issue Brief

    A new Kaiser Family Foundation brief examines out-of-network claims in large employer plans, and finds that a significant share of inpatient hospital admissions includes bills from out-of-network providers, often leaving patients exposed to "surprise medical bills" and high out-of-pocket costs. The analysis of part of the Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker, an online information hub dedicated to monitoring and assessing the performance of the U.S. health system.

  • Analysis: For Patients with Large Employer Coverage, About 1 in 6 Hospital Stays Includes an Out-of-Network Bill

    News Release

    A new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of medical bills from large employer plans finds that a significant share of inpatient hospital admissions includes bills from providers not in the health plan’s networks, generally leaving patients subject to higher cost-sharing and potential additional bills from providers. Almost 18 percent of inpatient admissions result in non-network claims for patients with large employer coverage. Even when enrollees choose in-network facilities, 15 percent of admissions include a bill from…

  • 5 Charts About Americans and Medical Bills

    Feature

    This slideshow draws on findings from the June 2018 Kaiser Family Foundation poll to provide an overview of the public’s experiences with medical bills, particularly for 18-64 year olds. Results include public’s problems with paying medical bills, impacts on their family, as well as actions taken to pay off bills.

  • Texans’ Experiences with Health Care Affordability and Access

    Report

    Using data from the Kaiser Family Foundation/Episcopal Health Foundation 2018 Texas Health Policy Survey, this brief explores Texas residents’ experiences with health care affordability and access to care. It examines Texans’ difficulty affording health care compared to other basic needs, problems paying medical bills, and skipping or postponing care because of costs. It also explores the experiences of vulnerable groups like the uninsured and those with lower incomes.

  • Poll: Affording Health Care Tops Texans’ Financial Concerns; Almost 4 in 10 Report Problems Paying Medical Bills

    News Release

    Affording health care ranks at the top of Texans’ financial concerns, with more than half (55%) saying it is difficult for them and their families to afford health care, including a quarter (25%) who say it is “very difficult,” finds a new Kaiser Family Foundation/Episcopal Health Foundation poll of Texas residents. Fewer report difficulties affording other basic necessities, including rent or mortgage, monthly utilities, transportation costs, or food. In addition, nearly four in 10 (38%)…