Democrats are centering health care in their midterm strategy, arguing that rising medical costs and the lapse of enhanced ACA subsidies create a political opening. Republican-led legislation projected to cut about $1 trillion from Medicaid over a decade and the expiration of COVID-era tax credits have become focal points for Democratic ads and hospital visits. Polling and local enrollment figures suggest affordability is a top voter worry, especially in states that didn’t expand Medicaid.
Rising Health Costs Fuel Voter Anxiety — Democrats Make Health Care the Midterm Centerpiece
FILE - A podium is prepared before Democrats hold news conference on the health care funding fight on the steps of the House before votes to end the government shutdown on Capitol Hill, Nov. 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
ATLANTA — As rising medical bills and the end of COVID-era subsidies squeeze families, Democrats are betting that health care will be a decisive issue in this year’s midterm races. Rather than chasing every White House controversy, campaign teams across the country are centering messages on affordability, access and the consequences of recent Republican policy changes.
What changed: Last year, Republican lawmakers enacted legislation projected to cut roughly $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next decade and let enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits expire. Democrats have seized on those moves, producing ads outside strained hospitals, highlighting Americans hit by premium spikes, and sharing candidates’ personal health-cost stories.
Campaigns Spotlight Health Care
Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia — one of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents this cycle — plans to make health care a focal point at a suburban Atlanta rally. Advocates and strategists say the issue is resonating on the ground.
FILE - From left, Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., the House minority whip, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., chair of the Democratic Caucus, speak during a news conference about health care at the Capitol in Washington, Oct. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
“It’s a banger of an issue for Democrats,” said Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care. “I think it will be part of every single campaign, up and down the ballot.”
Campaigns are staging hospital visits, meeting with health system leaders, and elevating emotional, personal narratives. Teresa Acosta, who frequently stumps for Democrats, says the ACA plan she buys now costs about $520 a month for herself and two teenagers — roughly seven times what she paid before expanded subsidies ended — and includes a child with Type 1 diabetes.
Polling And Local Impact
A KFF poll found about one-third of American adults are “very worried” about the cost of health care, a higher share than those very worried about groceries, housing or utilities. The impact is especially acute in states that did not expand Medicaid: preliminary federal data show roughly 14% fewer Georgians had signed up for ACA plans for 2026 compared with last year, although those totals are not yet final.
Republican Response And Political Stakes
Republicans defend their votes as efforts to curb unsustainable federal spending and to fight waste, fraud and abuse in programs such as Medicaid. Former President Donald Trump has promoted a new online tool intended to help patients find discounted prescription drugs. Still, critics note Republicans control both chambers of Congress and have yet to pass a comprehensive plan to ease rising consumer health costs.
President Donald Trump speaks about TrumpRx in the South Court Auditorium in the Old Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Ron Bonjean, a Republican strategist, warned that health care will remain the party’s “Achilles’ heel” until lawmakers produce realistic, enactable proposals. Inside the GOP, some lawmakers have expressed frustration: Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin — one of 17 Republicans who voted to temporarily extend ACA tax credits — said he opposed the subsidies but felt compelled to protect constituents and criticized his party for allowing them to lapse without a replacement.
On The Trail
Democratic candidates from Iowa’s Zach Wahls to Wisconsin’s Rebecca Cooke are visiting pharmacies and hospitals and sharing concrete examples: Cooke recounts her father’s expensive prostate cancer drugs and a recent $200 jump in her own ACA premium. Progressive group Unrig Our Economy reported it has spent more than $12 million on ads criticizing Republican health care votes since 2025.
Bottom line: With health costs ranking high among voter concerns, Democrats are turning health care from a historical political liability into a core message, hoping it will translate into gains down the ballot.
Swenson reported from New York.
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