After years of “you’ll pay less” promises, health care has surged past groceries and housing as Americans’ top money worry—and the timing points straight to Washington’s policy choices.
Story Snapshot
- A January 2026 KFF Health Tracking Poll found 66% of U.S. adults are worried about affording health care, with 32% “very worried.”
- Health care beat out other everyday cost pressures in the poll, including food/groceries, housing, utilities, and gas/transportation.
- The end of enhanced ACA Marketplace tax credits at the end of 2025 is tied to premium increases for many enrollees in 2026.
- Majorities say affordability is getting worse, and the issue is already shaping how voters think about the 2026 midterms.
KFF poll: Health care costs rise to the top of household fears
KFF’s Health Tracking Poll, conducted January 13–20, among more than 1,400 U.S. adults, found that paying for health care is now the country’s leading financial worry.
Two-thirds of adults said they are very or somewhat worried about affording costs such as insurance premiums, out-of-pocket spending, and prescription drugs.
The poll reported that 32% are “very worried,” a higher share than those who are very worried about groceries, housing, utilities, or transportation.
Two-thirds (66%) of Americans worry about paying for healthcare, more than any other household expense. pic.twitter.com/Wf9P5MBpFL
— Jay Rughani (@JayRughani) January 30, 2026
The numbers matter because they show a sharp shift in what Americans feel is squeezing them most. KFF’s breakdown shows health care anxiety cutting across the political spectrum, including Democrats, independents, and Republicans.
The poll also captured how people experience costs differently depending on coverage type. Employer plans and individually purchased insurance both saw majorities reporting rising costs over the past year, reinforcing the sense that paychecks aren’t keeping up.
Subsidy expiration meets premium reality in 2026
The most concrete policy driver cited in the reporting is the expiration of enhanced ACA Marketplace tax credits at the end of 2025 after Congress failed to extend them.
Those temporary credits, expanded during the COVID period, lowered monthly premiums for many Marketplace enrollees between 2021 and 2025.
With the enhancements gone, many consumers are confronting higher premiums in 2026—exactly the kind of pocketbook shock that can turn a policy debate into a kitchen-table crisis.
KFF’s findings also highlight broader frustration that will sound familiar to families who feel nickel-and-dimed by Washington’s constant “fixes.” A large majority told pollsters their incomes are not keeping pace with inflation.
More than half said health care costs have increased in the past year, and significant shares said health care is rising faster for them than other necessities. That gap between official talking points and lived reality is a big reason the issue now dominates personal financial anxiety.
Why the “health care is only 7%” argument doesn’t calm families
American Action Forum analysts noted a mismatch between the intensity of worry in polling and aggregate spending measures, such as the CPI, in which medical care services account for a smaller share of the typical household budget than categories like shelter.
That critique is a useful caution against exaggeration, but it does not negate what the poll captures. Premiums, deductibles, and surprise out-of-pocket bills can hit unevenly, and averages can hide the households absorbing the hardest blows.
That nuance matters for policy because it changes what “affordability” means in practice. Even if health care is not the largest line item for every household every month, it can be the most unpredictable and the most punishing when it spikes.
KFF’s polling and the related coverage describe consumers responding by considering skimpier plans, shifting coverage, or making other financial tradeoffs. For voters, unpredictability often feels worse than steady inflation because it threatens economic stability.
The political stakes: affordability becomes a midterm pressure point
KFF’s polling suggests the public is not treating this as a niche issue. Majorities expect affordability to worsen in the next year, and many disapprove of Congress’s handling of the subsidy issue.
KFF also found the issue can influence voting decisions in 2026, with higher intensity among Democrats but meaningful concern across the electorate. In practical terms, that means lawmakers will be pressured to explain why a known subsidy cliff was allowed to become a premium shock.
Paying for health care is now Americans' top financial worry, KFF poll finds. https://t.co/DVgmjuKZlX
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 31, 2026
For conservative readers who prioritize limited government and accountability, the key takeaway is that Washington does not need another massive, complicated program.
The takeaway is that families are again paying the price for unstable policy design—temporary subsidies, shifting rules, and political brinkmanship that leave consumers holding the bag.
The poll does not prescribe a single solution, but it clearly documents the consequence: health care affordability is now the top financial stressor in the country.
Sources:
Paying for health care is now Americans’ top financial worry, KFF poll finds
KFF Health Tracking Poll: Health Care Costs, Expiring ACA Tax Credits, and the 2026 Midterms
A Closer Look at Health Care Cost Fears
Many Americans Say U.S. Health Care Is in Trouble, Poll Finds
