For Immediate Release: May 9, 2025

Contact: Jack Cardinal, jcardinal@communitycatalyst.org 

Polling Commissioned by Community Catalyst Action Fund Finds Most Voters in Favor of Major Changes In Health Care

BOSTON, MA – New polling from Community Catalyst Action Fund done by HIT Strategies, the leading millennial and minority-owned public opinion research firm, found that health care affordability is a significant and growing concern for the majority of voters, and now ranks among the top tier of concerns for voters along with the economy and the cost of living. The polling also found that voters want major changes to the health care system and support an increased role for the government in ensuring affordability and accessibility. 

You can see the full deck from HIT Strategies on the polling here. 

Key Insights:
  • Health care affordability is a significant and growing concern for voters across political affiliations, ranking as a top priority alongside the economy and cost of living. While cost of living and the economy are currently top-of-mind (60% and 56% respectively), 42% of respondents identified health care as a primary concern, an increase from the previous year. When considering which issues Congress should prioritize, lowering health care costs was among the top responses (28%) and had the least partisan division when thinking about easing personal living expenses. Over half of those surveyed (54%) report struggling to afford health insurance and other health care-related expenses, a problem particularly pronounced in states without Medicaid expansion (59% report struggling).
  • Voters believe the current administration should be prioritizing health care affordability, even though many feel it isn’t a current focus. They broadly support policies that expand access—especially to dental care—and favor measures like guaranteed coverage, standardized pricing, and regulation of corporate ownership of hospitals. Ninety percent of respondents said the Trump administration should be making health care more affordable, but only 44% said they believe lowering health care costs is a priority for the administration. The overwhelming bipartisan support for advocating for the administration to make health care affordable highlights a growing concern amongst voters. Additionally, the bipartisan support of policies that guarantee basic health care coverage and regulation of ownership of hospitals highlights the desire for greater regulation.
  • Voters across the political spectrum want to see major changes in the health care system, emphasizing the desire among voters for bipartisan action. Voters want to see substantial change in the health care system (73% say it needs major change or to be completely rebuilt). This includes 75% of self-identified Democrats, 76% of Independents, and 67% of Republicans. This finding highlights the need for policymakers to offer bipartisan solutions that push major changes in the health care system, an issue of concern across all political ideologies. Additionally, voters overwhelmingly prefer to view health care as a public good (73%) rather than as a business that is maintained through supply and demand.
  • Voters overwhelmingly support a greater role for the government in regulating and managing health care, particularly in reducing costs and ensuring universal access. A substantial 73% of voters (75% Democrats, 80% Independents, 67% Republicans) believe that the health care system needs significant change or a complete rebuild. 78% of respondents advocate for a greater government role in lowering costs, a view popular across party lines (Democrats 89%, Independents 73%, Republicans 68%). A similarly large majority (73%) prefers treating health care as a public good, emphasizing care for all over profit. A majority of respondents expressed distrust in health insurance companies (63% distrust) and hospitals (54% distrust) to keep prices fair on their own. There is strong support for government action to address medical debt, such as setting limits on hospital charges, expanding financial assistance, and removing medical debt from credit reports.

You can see the full memo from HIT here.

“At a time when politicians in Washington are looking to gut critical health care programs and terminate care for millions, this polling makes one thing clear: these actions are out of step with the will of the people,” said Mona Shah, Senior Director of Policy and Strategy, Community Catalyst Action Fund. “Voters are calling for bold action to make health care more affordable, equitable, and responsive to the medical debt crisis. That means standing up to corporate greed and confronting the unchecked power of private equity and consolidation in health care. We’ll keep fighting for a future where everyone—no matter their zip code, income, or background—can get the care they need without going broke to do it.”

“In today’s polarized environment, we don’t often see such universal agreement and have those trends remain so consistent among party identification and demographic subgroups. It’s clear that healthcare – particularly affordability and accessibility – is a top priority across the board,” said Ashley Aylward, Senior Researcher at HIT Strategies. “And as someone who has personally dealt with medical debt – to the point of having a foreclosure notice handed to me when I was 13 years old because my parents couldn’t keep up with the bills of my brother’s cancer treatment and my mom’s medications for her multiple sclerosis – I get it. Every one of us is just one medical emergency away from crushing debt. Voters get it, and they want change.”

This survey consisted of 1000 registered voters nationally, with four national oversamples: Black registered voters, Latinx registered voters, AAPI registered voters, and Non-Medicaid Expanded State Voters. The survey was conducted via online panel. The survey was fielded from April 1 through April 10, 2025. 

The findings reinforce the broader, long-standing efforts of Community Catalyst Action Fund in advocating for executive and legislative action to defend against new threats to health care access under the current political landscape, making progress where we can, and setting the stage for bolder, long-term change. This includes continued efforts to ensure the public is at the center of public health, while holding so-called non-profit hospitals accountable to their tax breaks. 

###

About Community Catalyst Action Fund:

The mission of the Community Catalyst Action Fund is to build the power of people to create a health system rooted in race equity and health justice and a society where health is a right for all. We strengthen the health justice and advocacy movement to achieve community-led political and policy wins that put people over profit.