America’s Voters: We Demand Lower Healthcare Costs

The Families USA poll conducted by Hart Research Associates shows that lowering health care costs is the top priority for American voters across party lines, even surpassing housing, jobs, crime, and immigration. Fielded September 25–29, 2025, this poll shows that health care costs were a top priority even before the government shutdown thrust health care tax credits into the spotlight. The poll of 1,502 registered voters nationwide reveals near-unanimous bipartisan support not only for extending health care tax credits but for broader reforms to bring down costs.

Key findings from the poll include:

• Health care costs are the top priority for American voters: 43% of voters say lowering health care costs is the most important issue for Congress and the President to address — surpassing housing (35%), jobs (31%), immigration (24%), and crime (21%). Health care affordability ranks as the number one priority for Democrats and Independents and the second priority for Republicans.
• 91% of voters say it’s important that Congress and the President act to lower health care costs. The poll also reveals why Americans want action: 42% say the most important reason for Congress to reduce health care costs is to reduce stress on family budgets and bring down the cost of living, while 36% say it’s to give access to health care to those who cannot afford it now.
• Bipartisan support for common-sense health care reforms that put money back in people’s pockets. Voters across party lines believe the following bold actions will be most effective at immediately bringing down costs:
  • Eliminating legal loopholes that allow health care providers to overcharge (75%),
  • Restricting aggressive billing practices like surprise billing (73%),
  • Reducing unnecessary middlemen between patients and providers, who increase costs (72%),
  • Have the government set direct limits on the prices that providers can charge (64%).
• Overwhelming support and virtually no opposition to health care cost solutions that are actively pending in Congress, including:
  • Require all hospitals to disclose rates they charge in dollars and cents (91%),
  • Prohibiting systems from charging Medicare more for the same procedure if performed at a hospital facility instead of a doctor’s office (84%),
  • Prohibit Medicare Advantage companies from exaggerating health risks to get paid more (79%),
  • Extending enhanced premium tax credits (73%).

The findings show health care affordability is a top concern across demographic groups, with 47% of women, 49% of seniors, 47% of Latino voters, and 45% of small town and rural voters citing it as their number one priority. When asked about specific health care prices, voters rated them overwhelmingly unreasonable: 85% for hospital fees, 83% for medical devices, 81% for specialist fees, and 80% for prescription drugs.

The press release announcing the poll is available here.