Affordability worries continue to top the public’s list of midterm election issues, with health care and gas costs tying as the top economic concern, finds KFF’s new Health Tracking Poll conducted on the SSRS Opinion Panel. Overall, voters trust Democrats more than Republicans to handle health care costs and the cost of living.

A quarter of voters say they are “very worried” about being able to afford the cost of health care and gas and transportation (25% and 25%,) and an additional third say they are “somewhat worried” about health care and gas costs (35% and 34%). These worries outrank voters’ concerns about the affordability of food, utilities, and housing. The vast majority of voters say the cost of living and health care costs (90% and 82%) are “very” or “extremely” important for candidates to discuss during the last pivotal weeks of the campaigns.

This KFF Health Tracking Poll was designed and analyzed by public opinion researchers at KFF. The survey was conducted September 16 – September 21, 2026, online and by telephone among a nationally representative sample of 1,328 U.S. adults in English (n=1,237) and in Spanish (n=91). The sample includes 1,015 adults (n=72 in Spanish) reached through the SSRS Opinion Panel either online (n=990) or over the phone (n=25).