RFK Jr. spoke about his heroin addiction in a speech about SSRI use.
Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke at a MAHA Institute event focused on drug treatment of mental health disorders.
Americans who identify with the “Make American Healthy Again” movement often associate it with issues such as vaccines, food additives, and pesticides.
But the biggest concern among MAHA believers is the well-known increase in health care costs, according to a survey released May 6 by KFF, a health policy nonprofit.
According to the poll, 4 in 10 adults who support MAHA say lowering health care costs, including prescription drugs, is the most important health-related priority for the federal government. Additionally, two in 10 would prioritize restricting chemical additives in food, and one in 10 would like the government to re-evaluate the safety of vaccines currently in use.
The survey was conducted online and by phone between April 14 and April 19 among 1,343 adults, and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
KFF officials said the survey results mirror past research showing health care costs are a top priority among adults and voters heading into the November midterm elections.
“Even for voters who support MAHA itself, health care costs are overwhelmingly the priority,” said Audrey Carney, senior research analyst with KFF’s Public Opinion and Survey Research Program.
Other recent polls have found that Americans cite health care costs as one of their primary financial concerns. According to a Gallup poll released April 28, 6 in 10 Americans worry they won’t be able to cover their medical bills in the event of a serious accident or illness, and nearly half are worried about everyday expenses.
About 4 in 10 voters overall said they supported the MAHA movement, led by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and focused on issues such as vaccine safety, chemical additives and pesticides in the food supply, according to the KFF poll. About two-thirds of MAHA supporters identify as Republicans or Republican-leaning independents, but the movement has appeal beyond politics. According to KFF, about one in five MAHA supporters are Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents.
Will medical costs affect midterm elections?
MAHA supporters said medical costs are also a motivating factor when it comes to influencing how people vote.
Approximately 56% of MAHA supporters said health care costs would be a major factor in which political party candidate they would support. While the MAHA movement has focused on issues such as vaccines and food safety, four in 10 MAHA voters believe these issues will have a significant impact on their voting decision, a smaller percentage than those who cite health care costs as a motivator.
In 2025, President Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, fired all 17 original members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which recommends vaccines for adults and children. Kennedy replaced them with members that critics called unqualified. He also moved to reduce the number of vaccines routinely recommended for children.
Previous KFF polls have shown that most voters disapprove of President Kennedy’s move to overhaul the childhood immunization schedule. Still, more than two-thirds of MAHA supporters support the Trump administration’s food and vaccine policy responses, the KFF poll found. Nearly seven in 10 people approved of the way Kennedy is conducting his job as the nation’s top health official.
Democrats highlighted health care affordability issues after Congress failed to extend enhanced pandemic-era tax credits that made Affordable Care Act marketplace plans cheaper for millions of Americans.
Without the enhanced tax credit, which is set to expire at the end of 2025, the average cost for the 22 million Americans with subsidized ACA insurance would have more than doubled as of January, according to KFF.
President Donald Trump has touted efforts to lower prescription drug prices by negotiating “most-favored-nation” deals directly with drug companies. In April, Regeneron became the 17th major drug company to enter into a drug pricing agreement with the administration.
