Washington Examiner: The healthcare scam that’s about to upend the 2026 midterm elections

By Kasia Mulligan, Patients Come First’s National Spokesperson

With the November 2026 midterm elections quickly approaching, candidates across the country are once again delivering slick soundbites on healthcare affordability. But while politicians treat healthcare like a convenient campaign talking point, everyday Americans are making grueling choices at the kitchen table.

Fresh national polling from Patients Come First reveals a sobering reality: Nearly nine out of 10 Americans say healthcare will dictate their vote this fall. That isn’t a partisan anomaly — it is a cry for help from a public reaching its breaking point.

Over the past two years, 55% of Americans say healthcare has become noticeably less affordable, with a majority enduring rising insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. But the human impact behind these figures is far worse than the data suggests. Nearly half of all Americans — 45% — report cutting back on basic survival necessities like groceries, rent, and electricity just to afford medical care. Another 47% have delayed or skipped medical treatments altogether out of fear of the bill, while nearly two-thirds have zero confidence they could survive a single unexpected hospital visit without spiraling into debt.

Read the full op-ed in Washington Examiner here.