Poll: Health Care Affordability, Cost of Living are Top Issues on Election Day

November 02, 2026

Tomorrow is Election Day, and health care affordability is among the top issues on voters’ minds, according to the latest Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) tracking poll.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Top issues:  About 25 percent of voters indicated they were “very worried” about the cost of health care. Similarly, about 25 percent indicated they were “very worried” about gas and transportation costs.
• Other priorities:  A smaller share of voters said they were "very worried" about food and groceries (20%); utilities (18%); and rent or mortgage (16%).
• Leading the way:  Cost of living was the highest-ranked concern overall, with 62 percent of voters saying it was "extremely important" for candidates to talk about it ahead of the midterms.
• Talking points:  In the poll, voters ranked the cost of living (90%) and health care costs (82%) as "very" or "extremely important" for midterm candidates to discuss in the weeks ahead of the election.
• Quotable:  “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.

See the summary of the latest KFF tracking poll online.