NEW POLL: 69% of People Want Congress to Ensure Access to Affordable Health Care – Even If It Means Regulating Health Care Companies

76% percent believe a candidate’s position on health care costs is important in deciding their vote in the 2026 midterm elections

Washington, DC — Building upon years of research on how cost keeps people from accessing health care, United States of Care Action released the findings from a new joint poll with Morning Consult today showing that nearly 7-in-10 people agree that Congress should act to ensure affordable health care, even if that means regulating health care companies. The poll also illustrated the political weight people place on lowering health care costs as the midterm elections approach. These findings underscore a clear demand from people across party lines and in every corner of the United States – Congress must act to address the unaffordable cost of health care.

“Across the country, people are making tough choices – from waiting weeks to make an appointment knowing they may be stuck with a massive medical bill, to juggling the cost of necessities like groceries and gas along with their health care. The health care affordability crisis is at the center of this election cycle and people are demanding that Congress and candidates take it seriously. As we’ve heard from tens of thousands of people across the country through years of listening, it’s the combination of uncertainty and anxiety that defines their health care experience when their cost of care is astronomical,”said Natalie Davis, CEO and Co-Founder of United States of Care Action. “People can’t afford their health care, they distrust a system that they feel centers profit over their wellbeing, and they want their elected leaders to prioritize targeted solutions that will tackle the biggest cost problems they’re facing.”

Key findings from this poll include: 

• 71% of people agree that health care costs are unaffordable for people and families. 
• 69% of people agree that Congress should act to ensure affordable health care, even if that means regulating health care companies.
• 76% of people believe a candidate’s position on health care costs is important in deciding who they will vote for in the midterm elections. 
• 49% report experiencing at least one financial pressure related to a medical bill (i.e. contacted by a credit agency, took out a loan, etc.) in the past two years. 
• 21% of people have bills that are past due or they cannot pay, and 21% of insured individuals have medical debt. 
• 53% of people believe hospitals charge more than they need to, including 55% of Democrats and 53% of Republicans.
• 53% of people don’t trust private health care companies to lower costs on their own. 
• Strong majorities of people support targeted policy solutions to tackle the biggest problems in our health care system, including: 
  • Limiting prescription drug prices (64%).
  • Requiring hospitals to post prices (63%). 
  • Preventing hospitals charging more than doctors for the same service (62%). 
  • Prohibiting facility fees in non-hospital settings (62%). 
  • Banning debt collection for hospital price transparency violations (61%). 
  • Setting limits on hospital prices (60%). 
  • Require health care company ownership disclosure (59%).
  • Prohibiting facility fees for routine or telehealth services (56%). 
  • Blocking anticompetitive mergers (53%).

“It’s simple. People want to be able to keep their families healthy without going into medical debt – and they’re willing to reward leaders who help them achieve that at the ballot box,”said Davis. “The policy solutions to achieve this are bipartisan, broadly supported, tested in states, and can be enacted as soon as Congress makes them a priority.”

Methodology: 

This poll was conducted between April 6 – April 7, 2026 among a sample of 2001 Adults. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of Adults based on gender, age, race, educational attainment, region, gender by age, and race by educational attainment. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

A polling memo is available here, polling toplines are available here, and polling crosstabs are available here.

Click here to see the full report.

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