Democrats spending half of campaign funds on healthcare advertisements ahead of mid-term elections

WHAT HAPPENED

Democrats running for office in the upcoming midterm elections are homing in on healthcare, focusing half of their advertisements on an issue that polls show is a priority for many voters, according to a report from the Wesleyan Media Project.

POTENTIAL IMPACT

If Democrats make significant inroads in Congress, it could signal a shift in healthcare policy with far-reaching implications that hospitals and industry leaders would be smart to monitor. The party has lately adopted a Medicare-for-all approach to universal healthcare, and are betting campaign dollars that voters will support it.

The report analyzed 280,000 advertisements, a 33 percent increase from the last midterm election cycle in 2014. Democratic candidates in both House and Senate races are devoting about half of their campaign dollars to the issue.

About 44 percent of House Democratic campaign dollars have been devoted to healthcare, while in the Senate the number is more than 50 percent.

THE BIGGER TREND

Healthcare is an important issue for voters. As far back as January, polls showed that voters wanted candidates to make it a priority heading into the midterms, though it was much more of a priority for Democrats and Independents than for Republicans.

Republican candidates, however, are not ignoring healthcare. About 34 percent of outside Republican House ads have revolved around the issue, and in general the GOP's stance toward healthcare has softened, perhaps due to public perception and last year's failed attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

In March, another poll from Civis Analytics showed 31 percent of voters, a significant plurality, said the president and Congress should make healthcare a priority, followed by guns, immigration, deficit reduction and climate change.

Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com