Why Should I Trust You? A Polling-palooza: Is Health the Driving Issue of These Midterms? A Conversation w Pollsters from KFF, Navigator Research + A MAHA Supporter
Mar 26, 2026
Aaron Everitt, MAHA supporter and writer, shares personal takes on health policy and political disillusionment. Ashley Kirzinger, KFF survey methodology lead, breaks down polling methods and trends. Liz Hamel, KFF public opinion director, brings long-running expertise on health polling. They discuss rising healthcare costs, nutrition and food-safety worries, MAHA’s appeal, vaccine attitudes, and how people get health information.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Health Care Costs Are Top Voter Concern
- Healthcare affordability has surged to the top of voters' concerns, outranking obesity and cancer in urgency.
- KFF data show 29% name cost of care as the most urgent health problem and 70% say the system is in crisis or has major problems.
Healthcare Costs Have Become An Economic Issue
- Voters increasingly treat healthcare costs as an economic issue, not just a health policy one.
- KFF found healthcare costs topped economic worries, above food, utilities, housing and gas in early 2026 polling.
Policy Changes Amplified Cost Pain
- Rising employer cost-sharing and expiring ACA premium tax credits drove visible spikes in out-of-pocket burdens.
- Liz Hamel notes higher deductibles, employer shifts and doubling premiums for some marketplace enrollees made the problem salient.