Health care continues to top the list of issues voters are thinking, and worrying, about ahead of the 2020 election. They also trust Democrats far more than Republicans to address the issue. Two recent surveys, one national and one in 2020 battleground states, demonstrate how salient the issue remains.
Voters in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Florida side with a Democrat over Trump in 2020, according to Priorities USA, and give Trump a poor assessment on the issue of health care. Voters in these states were given a list of 11 issues and asked to select the four most important to them. By a 22-point margin, health care topped the list, with 54%. Next were wages not keeping up with the cost of living and corruption in government, both at 32%. Nearly 60% say that the cost of health care is getting worse, part of their larger economic concerns. In fact, "38% say they can pay their bills but can’t save, 17% say there are some months when they struggle to pay their bills and 7% say they are falling behind financially, falling into debt to pay their monthly bills." All this has combined to give Trump a 41% "very unfavorable" number, higher than his total favorable number at 40%.
Likewise, RealClear Opinion Research finds that, nationally, voters choose health care as their No. 1 concern from a list of six topics: "the economy, the environment, education, foreign policy, and immigration—health care came out on top by a significant margin: 36% of Americans ranked it first, and 26% listed it as their second choice. Only the economy (26% ranked it first, 25% second) was close."
"We know that health care was a primary driver of success for House Democrats in 2018, but what this poll shows is the importance this issue still holds in the 2020 cycle," said John Della Volpe, polling director for RealClear Opinion Research. "It transcends party, ideology and generation." The organization’s research also shows that "the demand for significant change is high," with strong support for Medicare for All—82% among Democrats, 2-to-1 support among independents, and an even split among Republicans.
Unless forced to, Republicans aren't going to address health care at all between now and 2020. At this point, they'd only be forced to by a court decision striking down the Affordable Care Act, something none of them want to be faced with, and which would likely spell total electoral disaster for them. Democrats have the advantage on this one again by virtue of just talking about the issue. They've already won on health care, so a focus at this point on corruption—another key issue—isn't likely to hurt them. That includes an impeachment inquiry.