Democrats and Republicans Share Dueling Health Care Messages in Final Midterms Push NYT > Top Stories By: Sheryl Gay Stolberg 30 October 2026 at 18:09 After concentrating on the high price of gas and groceries, Democrats are using health costs to make their case about an “affordability crisis.” © Jenn Ackerman for The New York Times“People are really, really hanging on by a thread here,” said Rebecca Cooke, a Democratic congressional candidate in Wisconsin who has made health care costs a central issue of her campaign.