According to the latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll (March 2008), the economy has eclipsed health care and the Iraq war on voters’ priority list, but health care plays a role in voters’ priorities in two ways: as an independent issue and as part of the growing concern about the economy. The poll finds that among registered voters, health care ranks third as the issue that they want presidential candidates to discuss during the campaign. Party differences exist, with health care ranking second for Democrats, third for independents, and fourth for Republicans. Overall, the share of registered voters picking the economy as the issue they want to hear the candidates talk about has doubled since December 2007.
However, the poll suggests that for at least some voters, the issues of health care and the economy are intertwined. For example, 26 percent of voters name inflation or rising prices overall as the single most important economic concern facing their families, but healthcare costs are one of a number of more specific worries cited by similar shares of voters. The public also links healthcare costs with the economy overall, with 64 percent of registered voters saying that significantly lowering the cost of health care would help the overall U.S. economic situation. The March tracking poll also examines political independents and those who name health care as one of the most important issues in their vote for president. Access the report.
