Healthcare Costs Swayed Midterm Voters, Exit Polls Show
Exit polls reveal healthcare affordability concerns heavily influenced midterm voting, with Democrats gaining strong support.
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Exit polls have shown that healthcare affordability concerns during President Donald Trump’s administration significantly influenced voters, leading to a strong Democratic turnout in Tuesday’s midterms. Eighty-five percent of voters reported being very or somewhat concerned about healthcare costs in their personal financial situation, with 60 percent of this group choosing to vote for Democratic candidates.
Healthcare Costs Drive Democratic Support
Specifically, 59 percent of respondents said they were “very concerned” about the costs, and 67 percent of these voters backed Democratic candidates as a blue tsunami swept the nation. When asked about the effect of the Trump administration’s healthcare policies, 55 percent of voters said the policies had made costs worse, with 83 percent of this group voting Democratic and only 15 percent voting for Republicans.
Fraud Concerns Highlight Policy Criticisms
The exit poll also asked voters if Trump’s healthcare policies made it harder for Americans to get the healthcare coverage they needed. A majority, 56 percent, of respondents said the president’s policies made it worse, and 88 percent of this group cast their midterm ballots for Democrats.
Notably, 45 percent of respondents said the Trump administration’s policies made the amount of fraud in government-run healthcare programs worse, and of this group, 84 percent voted for Democrats. Only 30 percent said the administration made the amount of healthcare fraud better, despite its high-profile crackdown on fraud, known as the “War on Fraud,” led by Vice President JD Vance and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Healthcare Costs Remain a Key Election Issue
Leading up to the election, healthcare affordability was a major concern for Americans, with health insurance premium rates skyrocketing. Family health insurance premiums increased by 9 percent in 2026, with the average American worker paying $7,471 annually toward premiums compared to $6,850 in 2025, according to a survey by the health policy research organization KFF.
In August, the Council for Affordable Health Coverage (COAC) surveyed 1,240 respondents from nine key Senate battleground states and found that 79 percent of likely battleground voters said healthcare costs were very important to their vote. The survey suggested that Republicans had an opportunity to neutralize a traditional deficit in trust on healthcare by emphasizing Democrats’ closeness to insurance companies.
Trust in Healthcare Policy Divides Voters
When voters were asked who they trusted more on healthcare — a Republican who wanted to give healthcare subsidies directly to people or a Democrat who wanted to continue paying subsidies to insurance companies — Republicans won by a 46 to 39 percent margin.
Source: Daily Caller
