Even the most ardent supporters of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) initiatives are concerned about the affordability of health care and told KFF pollsters the issue would be top-of-mind come November.
Kennedy’s MAHA efforts have focused on artificial dyes in foods, pesticide concerns, and vaccine safety, among other issues. But there has been virtually no effort to lower health care costs.
A recent KFF Tracking Poll indicated 55% of MAHA voters – mostly Republican and Make America Great Again advocates – said health care costs will have a major impact on whether they will vote in November and 61% said the issue will determine for whom they vote.
Though the cost of health care and health insurance has been a major issue for decades, the recent expiration of Obamacare subsidies sent premiums soaring for those who don’t get health insurance through their employers. Estimates by various entities put the number of people who couldn’t afford their premiums between 3.5 million and 6.3 million. The number was expected to grow in the coming decade. Some 22 million relied on the subsidies.
KFF estimated 2025 health care spending at $5.6 trillion, with hospitals representing $1.8 trillion, and projected it would grow to $8.6 trillion by 2033.
Health care providers told The Food Institute our whole approach to health care is outdated.
Dr. Johathan Wong, a Chicago-area endodontist at Renovo Endodontic Studio, said he has seen what dental debt has done to his patients.
“It is the first place that affordability is noticeable,” Wong said. “The regular vacuuming is postponed before heading to the grocery store when budgets are low. A cavity is going to cost more six or 12 months later when it’s a crying sore, a crown and sometimes a trip to my office in an ambulance.
“Although the annual dollar limit was determined when a gallon of gas cost 40 cents, most dental plans still limit [coverage] to $1,500 per year. That gap supplies one of the silent forces that causes debt in the medical system in the nation.”
In the KFF poll, MAHA voters indicated they were more concerned about health care costs than about the tenets of the MAHA movement.
The administration launched TrumpRx.gov earlier this year to try to reign in pharmaceutical prices. It steers users to manufacturers’ direct-to-consumer sites. The program also is trying to force concessions from drug manufacturers through trade and pricing tactics.
A recent West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America poll indicates Americans have had to cut back on a wide range of expenses and are stretching their medications out or borrowing money to pay for health care. The polling indicated 11%, roughly 28 million Americans, have skipped meals to meet health care costs.
Our health care system actually keeps people sicker longer, pharmacist Leyla Ali said.
“It’s time to rethink the way we look at, treat, and most importantly – define – health. The American health care system has been built upon a lie that the absence of disease or pain is health. The system is built for dependency on medications and treatments that keep people paying for health they never achieve,” Ali said.
The Food Institute Podcast
This episode features Julie Chapon, CEO and co-founder of Yuka, the fast-growing app that helps consumers better understand the health impact of food and cosmetic products. Chapon shares the origin story of Yuka, which began as a personal mission to decode confusing food labels and has since expanded into a global platform with over 80 million users.
