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Americans are increasingly concerned about the rising cost of healthcare and higher health insurance premiums, according to recent polling and government-related data.

Healthcare tops Americans’ domestic concerns

A Gallup poll released last week found that healthcare is the top domestic issue facing Americans among 16 policy areas included in the survey, with 61% saying they worry a great deal about healthcare access and affordability.

Healthcare’s prominence has returned after a period of lower visibility: the last time it was the foremost issue in voters’ minds was 2020, a position it held dating back to 2015. The issue was roughly tied with the economy in 2025, but now leads by 10 points.

Results were similar to a recent Fox News poll, which found 81% of voters are either “extremely” or “very” concerned about healthcare. That figure trailed only inflation and high prices, while 86% of voters said they were concerned about inflation and high prices.

Broad concern across political and age groups

The Gallup poll found healthcare concern is widespread across political groups, with 89% of Democrats, 80% of Independents, and 72% of Republicans saying they were either “extremely” or “very” concerned about healthcare.

Concern also varied by age, with 77% of respondents under age 45 and 83% of those over age 45 reporting they were extremely or very concerned. Among older Americans, 86% of those aged 65 and up shared that level of concern.

Why 2026 premiums are expected to rise

One driver cited for higher costs is the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credit at the end of 2025. The article notes that American consumers have faced rising health insurance premiums in recent years, with prices increasing this year after the end of an extra subsidy for consumers.

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, health insurance is subsidized through a premium tax credit for lower- and some middle-income households. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress added an additional subsidy on top of the baseline credit. The Trump administration and Congress allowed the pandemic-era enhanced subsidy to expire at the end of last year, pushing premiums higher.

Estimated out-of-pocket impact

Health insurance subsidies are smaller in the 2026 plan year after the enhanced premium tax credits expired, leaving only the baseline tax credit.

An analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) estimated that the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits would cause annual out-of-pocket premium payments to rise by over $1,000 this year—an increase of 114%, from $888 in 2025 to $1,904 in 2026.

Enrollment shifts in 2026 open enrollment

In addition to subsidy changes, the article points to premium increases for non-Obamacare plans over recent years, which experts have attributed to higher healthcare costs.

Data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid show consumers have shifted into lower-cost health insurance plans in the 2026 open enrollment period compared with the prior year.

According to the CMS data, in 2025, 56% of enrollees were in silver tier plans and 30% were in bronze plans. For 2026, 40% of enrollees were in bronze plans and 43% were in silver. The share of enrollees in gold tier plans increased from 13% in 2025 to 17% in 2026.