# Republicans gamble on healthcare ahead of 2026

> The GOP is attacking insurance companies to close a 22-point polling gap with Democrats on healthcare, even though the party has no unified alternative plan.
- Title: Republicans gamble on healthcare ahead of 2026 · NBC News
- Summary: The GOP is attacking insurance companies to close a 22-point polling gap with Democrats on healthcare, even though the party has no unified alternative plan…
- Keywords: republicans, democrats, healthcare, 2026 midterms, medicaid, affordable care act, polling, campaign strategy, insurance companies, drug costs, politics, news
- Source: NBC News — https://nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/republicans-are-leaning-healthcare-politics-desk-rcna599494
- Author: The Politics Desk
- Published: 2026-09-23T21:00:41+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: republicans, democrats, healthcare, 2026 midterms, medicaid, affordable care act, polling, campaign strategy, insurance companies, drug costs, politics, news
## Democrats dominate healthcare polling
Voters trust Democrats over Republicans on healthcare by 22 to 24 points, according to NBC News and New York Times polls. This gap has persisted since the early 1990s.
## GOP leans into populist healthcare attacks
Republicans are running ads criticizing insurance and drug companies, hoping to narrow Democrats' advantage rather than win the issue outright. Candidates in Michigan, New Jersey, and Kansas are all highlighting these themes.
## Women voters drive the strategy
Republican pollster Bill McInturff says the GOP needs to make up ground with women voters, who consistently rank healthcare as a top concern. Republicans don't need to win on healthcare, just compete.

> You don't have to win an issue. You just have to compete on the issue.
## Democrats counter with spending cuts
Democrats are attacking Republicans for passing one trillion dollars in Medicaid spending cuts and ending Obamacare funding last year, undermining GOP populist rhetoric on healthcare.
## Republicans still lack a plan
The GOP has spent a decade trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act but has never unified around an alternative. The party favors cutting healthcare funding to support tax cuts, conflicting with its working-class voter base.
## Trump seals Greenland security deal
President Trump announced a security pact with Greenland and Denmark allowing more U.S. military bases on the Arctic island while restricting Russian and Chinese investment there.
## Deal falls short of Trump demands
The agreement reaffirms Danish sovereignty and respects Greenlanders' self-determination, backing away from Trump's earlier insistence that Greenland become U.S. territory. Analysts question whether it improves on existing defense agreements.

> This was a phenomenal amount of work to get to where we were already.
## Trump claims major victory anyway
Trump wrote on Truth Social that the deal gives the United States permanent control over security in Greenland, despite the pact respecting Danish sovereignty and Greenlanders' autonomy.
## Key takeaway

Republicans are trying to compete on healthcare by adopting populist rhetoric against insurers and drug makers, not expecting to win the issue but hoping to narrow Democrats' commanding advantage with voters.