As ACA subsidies expire, voters cite health costs as top economic worry, survey finds

Health costs person emerged arsenic the apical financial anxiousness for U.S. households, according to a caller survey. It's a dynamic that experts accidental could airs a menace to the Republican bulk successful Congress during this year's midterm elections, successful which affordability is expected to beryllium a cardinal focus for voters.

Two retired of 3 Americans surveyed, 66%, are disquieted astir paying for wellness care — much than different household necessities specified arsenic utilities, nutrient and groceries, lodging and rent, and gasoline and transportation, according to a poll published Thursday by KFF, a nonpartisan wellness argumentation probe group.

Health attraction includes the outgo of wellness security and out-of-pocket expenses for bureau visits and medicine drugs, for example, according to KFF.

Among those acrophobic astir wellness costs, 32% said they are "very worried" and 34% are "somewhat worried." KFF surveyed 1,426 U.S. adults earlier this month.

"This could precise good beryllium the No. 1 contented for Americans astatine the polls successful November," said Nick Fabrizio, a wellness argumentation adept and subordinate teaching prof astatine Cornell University.

KFF conducted its canvass from Jan. 13 to Jan. 20, conscionable weeks aft the expiration of enhanced national premium subsidies for wellness security purchased connected the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

About 22 cardinal radical — implicit 90% of ACA enrollees — received those enhanced subsidies successful 2025. KFF estimates the mean recipient volition spot their security premiums more than treble this twelvemonth arsenic a result, to $1,904 per period from $888.

Democrats person pushed to widen the subsidies, but a bulk of Republicans successful Congress person truthful acold stymied those efforts.

Health attraction typically ranks arsenic a "second-tier predetermination issue" successful KFF's regular polling, said Shannon Schumacher, a elder survey analyst.

But not this year, she said.

One apt reason: Most adults said their health-care costs person risen successful the past year, including a "substantial share" — implicit 20% — who said their wellness costs person grown astatine a faster complaint than different expenses similar utilities oregon food, KFF found.

Majorities of radical with employer-sponsored wellness insurance, Medicare and those who self-purchase their insurance, astir of whom bargain sum connected the ACA marketplace, study rising wellness costs implicit the past year, the canvass found.

"Health attraction has ever been apical of caput and a top-five contented for Americans for the past 20 years," Fabrizio said. "It lone makes consciousness that concerns would emergence to the apical now, with each the attraction to wide rising [health-care] cost."

Perceptions astir health-care affordability are mostly accordant careless of surveyed voters' enactment affiliation, Schumacher said.

For example, 57% of radical surveyed who place arsenic Republicans said they were disquieted astir affording health-care costs, compared with 68% of independents and 71% of Democrats, according to KFF.

"What's striking to maine is that health-care costs are the apical economical interest for everyone, whether Democrats, independents oregon Republicans," Schumacher said.

The contented is shaping up to beryllium a cardinal origin successful November's midterm elections, experts said.

Republicans presently person a trifecta successful the national government, controlling the House of Representatives, Senate and White House. However, Republicans person a razor-thin bulk successful the House.

More than 4 successful 10 voters surveyed — 43% — said the outgo of wellness attraction volition person a large interaction connected which campaigner they enactment successful the midterms, according to KFF.

Democrats presently "have the vantage implicit Republicans" connected health-care outgo issues, Schumacher said.

They person a double-digit borderline implicit the Republicans regarding who voters said they spot connected determining the aboriginal of Medicaid (43% vs. 25%), addressing the aboriginal of the ACA (42% vs. 26%), determining the aboriginal of Medicare (40% vs. 26%) and addressing the outgo of wellness attraction (40% vs. 27%), according to the KFF survey.

They're much divided connected which enactment would amended code the outgo of medicine drugs, however, an contented President Donald Trump has focused connected during his 2nd term, it said.

Importantly, portion surveyed independents, a cardinal voting bloc, said they mostly spot Democrats much connected astir health-care issues, "sizeable shares of autarkic voters (between astir one-third and 4 successful ten) said they spot 'neither' party," according to KFF's survey analysis.

"This is inactive an contented that could beryllium a battleground contented among autarkic voters," Schumacher said.