The Healthcare Affordability Elections, 2026 and 2028 – Listening to the KFF Tracking Poll, January 2026
By Jane Sarasohn-Kahn on 30 January 2026 in Affordability, Business and health, Consumer experience, Consumer-directed health, Demographics and health, Determinants of health, DTC health, DTP health, Education and health, Employee benefits, Employers, Financial health, Financial toxicity, Financial wellness, Food and health, Food security, Grocery stores, Health access, Health and wealth, Health benefits, Health care industry, Health care marketing, Health citizenship, Health Consumers, Health costs, Health Economics, Health ecosystem, Health engagement, Health insurance, Health law, Health literacy, Health marketing, Health media, Health Plans, Health policy, Health politics, Healthcare access, Home economics, Jobs and health, media and health, Medicaid, Medical bills, Medical debt, medical home, Medicare, Medication adherence, Medicines, Mental health, Money and health, Nutrition, OTCs, Out of pocket costs, Patient engagement, Patient experience, Personal health finance, Pharmacists, Politics and health, Popular culture and health, Prescription drugs, Prevention, Primary care, Public health, Retail health, Self-care, Shopping and health, Social determinants of health, Social health, Social isolation, Social media and health, Social networks and health, Social responsibility, Social security, Sustainability, Transparency, Trust, User experience UX, Value based health, Vitamins, Wearable tech, Weight loss, Wellness
The title of KFF’s press release launching the Foundation’s January 2026 Health Tracking Poll clearly observes, “Health Care Costs Tops the Public’s Economic Worries as the Runup to the Midterms Begins.” I’ve pulled out the key details to share my lens on the 2026 midterm and 2028 Presidential election forecast, which I believe will turn out to be (in part) The Patients’ Elections. Here’s the top-line title finding — where most people in the U.S. — 2 in 3 people (66%) — are worried more about health care costs compared with other major household expenses.
Thanks to Jennifer Castenson for her article in Green Builder Media tracking the growing trend of home-building baked with wellness inside and out. She interviewed me for the piece and I'm grateful to have my perspectives covered in this important issue. Here's one snippet: “Now, we are starting to see areas of the home purposed for health and we have started to think about how to repurpose the home for health."
Jane joined host Dr. Geeta "Dr. G" Nayyar and colleagues to brainstorm the value of vaccines for public and individual health in this challenging environment for health literacy, health politics, and health citizen grievance. Click onto the Pfizer Value of Vaccines site and you can watch four episodes covering the challenges with adult vaccination, the employer and health plan member's journey to vaccination, reimbursement, and collaborating for proactive prevention.
I'm grateful to be part of the Duke Corporate Education faculty, sharing perspectives on the future of health care with health and life science companies. Once again, I'll be brainstorming the future of health care with a cohort of executives working in a global pharmaceutical company.