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The midterm elections are just a few weeks away and slightly more than three in four people (76%) say healthcare will be one of the top three issues when casting their votes. Nearly three in four (73%) said they feel frustrated, overwhelmed, or helpless when they think about what they pay for care.
According to new data from the nonprofit United States For Care in Washington, D.C., 89% of Democrats, 74% of Independents, and 64% of Republicans said that they will have healthcare costs on their minds when going to vote.
And, respondents to the survey want the government to step in to cut costs and improve service.
According to authors of the report “2026 People’s Health Care Survey,” respondents agreed the system isn’t working, “but they are divided on how much it needs drastic change.” Just fewer than half (48%) want major or radical change, including one in five (21%) “who would vote tomorrow for the whole system to be torn down and rebuilt.”
The data showed that just more than half (52%) want something short of an overhaul, most say the system needs targeted improvements (34% of all people), while smaller groups said it needs small fixes but is mostly okay (13%) or that it rarely works for them, but they have to use it anyway (5%).
Two in three people on Medicare (66%) and six in 10 veterans covered through the Department of Veterans Affairs (60%) are satisfied with their insurance, compared with 42% of people with employer coverage and 40% of people with Marketplace coverage. The concept of satisfaction should be read carefully, according to the authors. Many people define affordable care by the lowest possible bar: that people with insurance shouldn’t have to go into debt to get care. When people say they are satisfied, they often mean they got the care or medication they needed without a fight, or a feeling that they have it better than others with worse insurance.
“The 2026 People’s Health Care Survey” is United States of Care’s nationally representative survey of registered voters that captures people’s experiences and challenges in the healthcare system. United States of Care partnered with ZS Associates, a research and consulting firm, to design and conduct the survey, which reached 2,732 people across the country and was followed by in-depth conversations with 41 people.
The overwhelming trend is that respondents want four things: affordability, dependable coverage, personalized care, and a system that is understandable and easy to navigate.
