Poll: Health care concerns rank high, embedded in concerns about immigration, government and the economy

A new Gallup poll on top issues for likely voters could suggest that voters are far less focused on health care as a dominant concern than immigration, government leadership, the economy, the high cost of living and poverty. As Robert Pearl, MD reports for Forbes, health care now ranks 16th, down from being listed as a top concern. But, Pearl makes a compelling case that health care remains a big concern of Americans; it is embedded in their top concerns.

Health care ranked as an explicit top concern in 2018, 2020 and 2022, as Pearl points out. Here’s the share of Americans who ranked other issues ahead of health care in this recent poll: “Immigration (28%), the government (20%), the economy in general (12%), inflation (11%), poverty, hunger and homelessness (5%), unifying the country (4%), crime/violence (4%).”

But, as the Kaiser Family Foundation found last month, health care costs are a top economic priority for voters. And, voters today say that the economy is their third top concern.

Health care is now interwoven in other concerns. In addition to health care being part of voters’ concerns about the economy, health care is response for the high cost of living and poverty. Think about how Covid-19 has affected our country–our government, our economy, and our health. Covid has also affected government investment and inflation.

Health care costs are now tied to pressures on the economy, such as high housing, food and gasoline costs. Covid-19 affected our incomes and resources as well as our mental health. It bred social isolation, loneliness and more. It undid whatever social solidarity we felt as a nation and promoted greater fissures, including fear of immigrants.

Covid-19 fostered a lack of trust in government leadership. Mixed messages about how to protect yourself from Covid; the government’s inability to protect people; the high number of Covid deaths; ever-changing Covid policies; shortages of Covid test kits; lack of bi-partisan agreement on Covid policy reforms, all led voters to lose faith in government. Voters now feel a strong desire to unify our nation.