KFF Poll Shows Health Care Tops Voters’ Midterm Concerns

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes · Last updated: 6 October 2026

KFF’s Health Tracking Poll, fielded September 16–21, 2026, among 1,328 U.S. adults, finds health care affordability sitting alongside gasoline as a top voter worry in the run-up to the 2026 midterms. The poll shows Democratic voters far more likely than Republican voters to say they are “more motivated” to vote this year (63% vs. 38%) and gives Democrats a clear lead on who voters trust to handle the cost of health care (42% vs. 22%). Voters also express broad, but fragile, support for Medicare-for-all (66% overall), a position that shifts sharply when respondents hear arguments for or against specific trade-offs such as higher taxes or eliminated premiums.

“To make sure that people’s needs are met. It’s sad people have to choose between eating and getting their medicine.”

37-year-old Democrat, Michigan

Who is most motivated to vote and why it matters

KFF’s poll finds a large partisan enthusiasm gap heading into the midterms: 63% of Democratic voters say they are more motivated to vote than usual, compared with 38% of Republican voters. Independent voters split, with about 41% saying they are more motivated and 44% saying they are about as motivated as in past elections. The questionnaire asked those who reported increased motivation for their reasons; Democrats frequently pointed to bringing about change or stopping the Trump administration, while Republicans most often cited keeping Democrats out of power or concern about socialism or communism.

Measured enthusiasm matters because it is a leading indicator of turnout, which can reshape control of close races. The poll’s registered-voter subsample (n=1,013) carries a margin of sampling error of ±4 percentage points, and subgroup margins are larger, so the raw enthusiasm gap should be read with that sampling error in mind. Still, a 25-percentage-point difference in self-reported motivation across partisans is a sizable behavioral signal for campaign strategists and incumbents.

Affordability tops the ballot agenda: what voters want candidates to talk about

Affordability is the primary concern cited by voters. The poll shows health care costs and gasoline lead economic worries, with “six in ten” voters saying they are worried about affording health care costs and similar shares worried about gasoline and other transportation costs. When asked what issues candidates should prioritize, 62% say the cost of living is extremely important and 47% say that about health care costs specifically.

Open-ended responses collected for the poll illustrate how voters describe the problem: many asked for concrete plans to lower costs for prescriptions, doctor visits and insurance premiums. KFF presented selected verbatim answers from respondents across party lines to underline that affordability language—whether framed as universal coverage or targeted relief—resonates widely. For campaigns, this suggests that detailed cost proposals, not only abstract promises, are likely to be noticed by voters prioritizing household budgets.

Partisan trust on issues and how it has shifted since April

The poll measures which party voters trust to handle specific issues and finds Democrats holding an advantage on several fronts. On the cost of health care Democrats lead Republicans 42% to 22%; on the cost of living the split is 39% to 25%; on abortion policy it is 42% to 27%; and on the conflict with Iran it is 36% to 27%. KFF notes the Democrats’ lead on health care costs has grown since April, when 37% trusted Democrats and 26% trusted Republicans on that issue.

Independent voters lean toward Democrats on several issues as well—for health care costs the poll shows independents trust Democrats 38% to 9% for Republicans—but many independents say they trust neither party. That ambivalence among independents means campaigns can influence perceptions in the closing weeks, but the current balance gives Democratic messaging on affordability greater traction heading into early voting.

Medicare-for-all: broad baseline support that shifts with trade-offs

KFF finds two-thirds of adults say they favor Medicare-for-all (66%), the highest recorded favorability in KFF’s trend since 2016. Support is strongly partisan: 84% of Democrats and 72% of independents favor a national single-payer plan, while 66% of Republicans oppose such a plan, including 48% who strongly oppose it. Younger adults (ages 18–29) show especially high favorability (75%) compared with adults ages 65 and older (54%).

However, the poll also tested reactions to specific claims about such a plan. Opposition rises when respondents hear that Medicare-for-all could cause delays in tests and treatments (76% oppose), increased taxes (64% oppose), or threats to the current Medicare program (61% oppose). Conversely, support grows if the plan is framed as guaranteeing coverage as a right (76% favor) or eliminating premiums and cost-sharing (75% favor). Those swing figures indicate public opinion on single-payer proposals is highly malleable to campaign messaging and policy detail.

What could change after the election and why

The bottom line

KFF’s September 2026 Health Tracking Poll presents a consistent picture: affordability is central to voter concerns and Democrats enter the closing stretch with an advantage on trust for handling health care costs and a boost in voter motivation. At the same time, support for sweeping reforms such as Medicare-for-all is highly sensitive to how trade-offs are framed, meaning campaign messaging and late-stage debates can still shift public views. For strategists and policymakers, the immediate implication is that detailed, cost-focused proposals will likely carry more weight with voters than broad labels alone.

What to watch

• Watch for candidates’ final health-care proposals in the weeks before Election Day; no date has been set in the poll for those releases.
• Watch for post-election debate or bills that reference Medicare-for-all provisions; no legislative timetable is provided in the poll.
• Watch for campaign messaging shifts on fraud in government programs and cost-of-living promises, as those themes track with partisan priorities; no specific dates are given in the poll.