According to a recent Gallup poll, more than two-thirds of Americans believe healthcare is not receiving enough attention in the 2024 election. Majorities along the political spectrum, including 53% of Republicans, 67% of Independents and 78% of Democrats, believe this.

A majority of respondents (63%) consider protecting Medicare/Social Security and reducing the overall cost of healthcare (57%) to be among their most important issues when choosing a president. Significant rates also have lowering drug costs (47%) and policies related to mental healthcare access (43%) as some of their top issues.

Not surprisingly, Republicans and Democrats consider their party’s presidential nominee as most likely to improve various aspects of the healthcare system.

Self-identified independents, however, are slightly more likely to trust Kamala Harris over Donald Trump regarding healthcare policy. Regarding increasing the quality of healthcare, 32% of Independents believe Harris to be the better choice, with 26% choosing Trump. On lowering the cost of prescription drugs, 35% prefer Harris, with 27% giving the nod to Trump.

When asked about who would be the better candidate to strengthen Medicare, Harris holds a 13-point advantage over Trump (38% to Trump’s 25%) among Independents.

Overall, Democrats are more optimistic than Republicans about the future of healthcare in the U.S., with a majority (58%) believing access to affordable healthcare will improve within the next five years. Only 30% of Republicans and 36% of Independents have a positive outlook for the future in this area.

The poll was taken before and after the September 10 Presidential Debate between Harris and Trump. In its writeup on the results, Gallup noted that responses “did not vary significantly for respondents interviewed before and after the debate.”

Complete results, including a link to the survey’s methodology, can be found here.