Healthcare costs are back at the top of the US policy agenda. A Gallup poll released last week found 61% of Americans worry a great deal about access and affordability, putting healthcare first among 16 domestic issues in the survey.
That marks a return, and a sharp one. Healthcare last held the top spot in 2020, after leading voter concerns for years beginning in 2015. In 2025, it ran roughly even with the economy. Now it leads by 10 percentage points.
A recent Fox News poll pointed in the same direction. It found 81% of voters were either extremely or very concerned about healthcare. Only inflation and high prices ranked higher, with 86% expressing concern.
The pressure cuts across party lines. According to the poll, 89% of Democrats said they were extremely or very concerned about healthcare. Among independents, the figure stood at 80%. Republicans came in at 72%. Different politics, same bill shock.
Concern also spans age groups. The poll found 77% of adults under 45 were extremely or very concerned about healthcare. Among those over 45, the figure rose to 83%. For adults 65 and older, it reached 86%.
One big reason sits in plain view: insurance costs keep climbing. American households have faced higher health premiums for years, and 2026 brought another jump after the end of an extra subsidy introduced during the pandemic.
Coverage under the Affordable Care Act relies on premium tax credits for lower-income households and part of the middle class. During the Covid-19 period, Congress added an enhanced subsidy on top of the standard support.
The Trump administration and Congress then allowed that added subsidy to expire at the end of 2025, which pushed premiums higher for many consumers.
KFF estimated last year that the end of the enhanced premium tax credits would raise annual out-of-pocket premium payments by more than $1,000 in 2026. The projected increase took average payments from $888 in 2025 to $1,904 in 2026, a jump of 114%.
Premium pressure has not been limited to ACA coverage. Insurers have also kept raising prices in the broader commercial market, reflecting higher medical costs across the system.
CMS data suggests many consumers have responded by shifting into lower-cost coverage during the 2026 open enrollment period.
In 2025, 56% of enrollees chose silver plans and 30% picked bronze. In 2026, bronze climbed to 40% while silver fell to 43%. Gold also gained share, rising from 13% to 17%.
According to Beinsure analysts, the pattern points to consumers getting more tactical as premium pressure builds, though the bigger story is simple enough: healthcare bills are biting harder, and voters feel it.
