Polls: Health care prices are top financial worry for families
For many Texas households, the state’s economic growth is being tempered by the rising price of health care. Recent longitudinal polling and market data indicate that health care affordability has transitioned from a secondary issue to the primary financial anxiety for a majority of the state and national population.
According to the December 2025 Texas Politics Project poll, health care expenses now lead the list of economic worries for Texas voters. The data shows that 67% of respondents are “very concerned” about the cost of health care, with another 22% being “somewhat concerned” about the cost of care. This ranked as the highest level of concern among all economic issues tested.
Health care affordability a national issue, too
National findings from the Kaiser Family Foundation provide broader context to this trend. Their January 2026 Health Tracking Poll confirms that health care costs have overtaken other daily necessities as the public’s top financial worry. Two-thirds (66%) of adults expressed worries about affording care, ranking higher than concerns over groceries (57%), utilities (57%), or housing (52%). Furthermore, roughly one-in-five adults say that their health care costs have increased at a faster rate than their monthly utilities and food and groceries.
Data from our Texas Voter Poll from September 2025 further highlights how these prices translate into health care seeking behavior. Our poll found that 82% of Texas voters favor candidates who make health care price reduction a top policy priority, even ahead of other key issues such as homeowner insurance (79%), property taxes (78%) and disaster response (78%). Most notably, the high price of care is causing a measurable change in behavior: approximately 37% of Texas report that they or someone in their household have delayed or skipped medical treatment because they did not know the final cost of the service. This figure rises to 50% among mothers with children.
By focusing on structural reforms such as price transparency, increased market competition, and data-driven tools like the All-Payor Claims Database, lawmakers can address the root causes of these prices. Ultimately, ensuring that health care in Texas is affordable is essential for the continued prosperity of all Texans.