Health Care — Poll finds health care costs, access now top domestic issue

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View Online Health Care Health Care The Big Story  Health care ranks as top domestic concern in latest Gallup polling  For the first time in more than five years, cost and access to health care ranked as the top domestic issue of concern in the latest polling by Gallup, outpacing issues like the economy and inflation.  © Adobe Stock In new polling conducted during March, 61 percent of those who participated said they personally worry a great deal about "the availability and affordability of healthcare." Overall, 94 percent said they were worried about this issue to some degree.    Ninety-five percent of participants said they were concerned about the economy on some level, but within this group 51 percent said they were concerned "a great deal."    These polling numbers come just days after the most recent figures on Affordable Care Enrollment were released, indicating that more than 1 million people dropped out of coverage for 2026 when compared to last year. When the ACA enhanced premium tax subsidies expired, a drop in enrollment was anticipated.    According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), 23.1 million consumers selected or were re-enrolled in coverage through HealthCare.gov and state-based exchanges. In 2025, CMS reported that 24.2 million people had signed up for coverage, an all-time high.    "Healthcare has reclaimed its position as Americans' foremost domestic concern, returning to the top tier after several years when economic matters commanded more attention," Gallup stated in its polling report.    "While the percentage highly worried about the availability and affordability of healthcare hasn't increased over the past year, ongoing public concerns about healthcare costs, including personal challenges in affording care, make this a perennial concern."    Read more here from The Hill's Sophie Brams  Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, I'm Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: White House backs Casey Means for surgeon general after Trump remarks The White House is maintaining its support for Casey Means to be the next U.S. surgeon general one day after President Trump said he was open to withdrawing her nomination. Trump said over the weekend that he did not know how Means, the sister of White House senior adviser Calley Means, was doing in the nomination process. When asked if he was considering withdrawing her nomination, Trump told reporters, “You know, something …  Full Story Health care polling as top issue for first time since 2020: Gallup Americans are more concerned about the availability and cost of health care than any other domestic issue, with it reclaiming the top spot for the first time since 2020, according to a new Gallup poll. The poll, released Tuesday, found that 61 percent of the 1,000 adults surveyed said they worry a "great deal" about accessing and affording health care, while 23 percent expressed a "fair amount" of concern. That is compared …  Full Story Trump says it's 'possible' Means will be withdrawn as surgeon general nominee President Trump on Sunday indicated he was open to withdrawing his nomination of Casey Means, sister of White House senior adviser Calley Means, to be U.S. surgeon general, as reports indicate she does not have the necessary Republican support. While speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump was asked if he was considering withdrawing his nomination of Casey Means. “Well, we’re looking at a lot of different …  Full Story In Other News  Branch out with a different read: Iranian American lawmaker says Trump needs to find an off-ramp quickly for Iran war Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), who is Iranian American, said President Trump needs to find an off-ramp for the ongoing U.S. conflict with Iran soon. "We’re already in this war, so what can be done? And I’ve been thinking a lot about that. Ultimately, I do think we need an off-ramp, quickly, to the war. We need to de-escalate," Ansari told ABC News's Jonathan Karl in an interview that aired Sunday on "This Week." … Full Story Around the Nation  Local and state headlines on health care: Applications for Medicaid spike in Nevada (Nevada Current)  Trump administration still giving private health data to ICE, California and other states argue (San Francisco Chronicle)  Idaho Senate approves oversight committee of federal rural health care grant (Idaho Capital Sun)  What We're Reading  Health news we've flagged from other outlets: Sources: White House to propose 20 percent cut to NIH funding (Roll Call)  Fentanyl vaccine begins trial in effort to prevent overdoses (Bloomberg)  Drugmakers delay some European launches with a wary eye on Trump's pricing policies (Reuters)  What People Think  Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: A $22.5 million warning for the return-to-office era Another global health crisis is gaining momentum. We need to be prepared.   You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Health Care page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 Copyright © 1998 - 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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