Health care rises as a priority for Americans, poll finds

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A new AP-NORC poll finds health care has jumped to the top tier of Americans’ priorities for the federal government to tackle in 2026, as people anticipate higher costs and point to mounting strain on household finances. The survey, released in December by The Associated Press–NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, comes as many respondents describe health spending as worsening even as other worries—such as immigration and the overall cost of living—stay on their lists.

Julia Dvorak of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, area said she is worried that her 83-year-old mother’s emergency room trips for seizures are draining her retirement savings and could soon push her mother onto Medicaid. Dvorak, 56, who said she also relies on state and federal assistance for a chronic knee condition, expects her own health costs to rise next year. “I see how it affects me and my loved ones,” Dvorak said. “But I also know it’s affecting other people, and it’s getting worse.”

The poll showed the rise in health care concern is much sharper than for other commonly mentioned issues. It comes after changes tied to President Donald Trump’s administration, including reductions to Medicaid spending and the decision to end coronavirus pandemic-era subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, according to the AP report describing the survey results.

Respondents said the health care issue could help steer political attention toward next year’s midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress. Despite the jump in health care concern, the poll found immigration and worries about rising costs remain pressing issues for Americans going into 2026, while confidence in the government’s ability to make progress appears low.

Overall, the poll found that about 66% of U.S. adults said they are “slightly” or “not at all confident” that the government will be able to make progress on the important problems facing the country in 2026, down from 58% last year. In open-ended questions that asked respondents to share up to five issues they want the government to work on, about 4 in 10 adults named health care or health issues, up from about one-third last year.

The AP report highlighted how the shift shows up across age and personal circumstances. It said health care concerns were especially high among adults ages 45 to 59—people who may face higher health care costs than younger adults but are not yet eligible for Medicare. It also described how health care has become a top priority for some voters who previously focused more on other issues.

Joshua Campbell, a 38-year-old small business owner from Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, said he and his wife recently sought a medical plan for their young daughter and that the experience changed his priorities heading into 2026. Campbell, who said he voted for Trump last year and mostly approves of Trump’s handling of immigration, said health care costs have become a major concern. “Health care costs are pretty crazy,” Campbell said. “I just thought, ‘Man, there’s got to be something better than what we have.’”

Other respondents described the health care pressure as part of a broader squeeze from rising expenses. Tommy Carosone, 44, a jet aircraft mechanic in St. Peter’s, Missouri, said grocery bills have risen, and he described frustration with prices for everyday food items. “My wife is spending so much more money on groceries than just a few years ago. Every time she comes home from the grocery store, I hear about it,” Carosone said, adding that his family is supported by his wages as the sole earner.

Carosone said he believes costs will stay higher until the trade war ends and pointed to his support for Trump’s tariff agenda. He said illegal immigration does not register as a top priority for him now, even though he said he was concerned before Trump took office again. “It’s a lot better,” he said. “It’s not really one of the main concerns I have now. I mean, don’t stop. That’s for sure. But I don’t think it’s something that’s a top concern.”

Alongside health care and costs, the poll found immigration remains a prominent issue for many voters, though attitudes differed by party. The AP report said immigration was the top issue Americans wanted the government to focus on last year, with about half of adults citing it, and that about 44% said they wanted immigration prioritized again this year.

The report also said Democrats have grown increasingly concerned about immigration while Republicans and independents have declined. It cited that about 4 in 10 Democrats listed it as a concern this year, up from 32% last year, while about 6 in 10 Republicans mentioned it this year, down from about 7 in 10 last year. The AP report included the example of Roxanna Holper, 64, who said she has worried about the Trump administration’s approach to immigration and described herself as not ideological, saying she has voted for Republicans as well as Democrats.

Holper said she believed the administration’s approach is not matching what she saw in Trump’s campaign messaging. “(Trump) campaigned with, you know, ‘We’re going to get the worst of the worst … off the streets,’” Holper said. “Well, who doesn’t want that?” She added, “You hear stories where a mom was deported with her two children,” and she said, “Like, what the hell — well, who are we as a society that we would treat anybody like that? That is so appalling.”

The AP report said the poll surveyed 1,146 adults and was conducted Dec. 4-8 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel designed to be representative of the U.S. population. It said the margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4 percentage points.