As the midterm elections approach, health care ranks as the top issue, mentionedmore frequently among voters nationwide than among those living inareas with competitive races, a new poll finds.

In areas with competitive congressional or gubernatorial races,the economy and jobs ranked as the top issue for candidates todiscuss, with 34 percent of registered voters listing it as No. 1,according to the poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation. (Kaiser Health Newsis an editorially independent program of the foundation.) Followingeconomics was the conflict with North Korea (23 percent),immigration (22 percent) and health care (21 percent). Thecompetitive areas are 13 states with statewide races and 19 Housedistricts judged as toss-ups by the nonpartisan Cook PoliticalReport.

Nationwide, 29 percent of registered voters ranked health careas the most important issue for electoral discussion — though it was far moreimportant for Democrats than Republicans. Economy and jobs wereclose behind with 27 percent of voters rating it most important,and then immigration, with 24 percent listing it.

The poll found that nearly half of Americans believed there isstill a federal requirement for everyone to obtain healthinsurance, even though Congress’ tax bill last year repealed thepenalties for that requirement in the Affordable Care Act, known asthe individual mandate. Only a third of the public were sure thatthose penalties had been repealed.

Fifty percent of the public expressed a favorable view of thehealth law, while 42 percent disliked it. Six in 10 people saidthat since President Donald Trump and the Republicans in Congresshave altered the law, they are responsible for any problems. Likeother opinions about the law, there was a strong partisan split:Only 38 percent of Republicans thought their party is nowresponsible, while 77 percent of Democrats thought so. Half ofRepublicans still listed repealing the health law as a toppriority.

There was less of a partisan split over the importance that thepresident and Congress address the epidemic of prescriptionpainkiller addiction. Among Republicans, 43 percent rated it a toppriority; 54 percent of Democrats agreed.

There was no such comity over whether lawmakers should allowpeople brought illegally to this country by their parents — theso-called Dreamers — to stay in the country legally: 21 percent ofRepublicans called that a top priority, while 66 percent ofDemocrats did. And while 43 percent of Republicans said they wantedlawmakers to focus on passing federal funding for a border wallwith Mexico, only 5 percent of Democrats and 19 percent ofindependents did.

The poll was conducted Jan. 16-21 among 1,215 adults. The marginof error was +/-3 percentage points. The poll included 298 peoplewho said they were registered to vote in one of the areas the CookReport identified as a battleground in the fall elections. Themargin of error for results for this group was +/-7 percentagepoints.

Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit news servicecovering health issues. It is an editorially independent program ofthe Kaiser Family Foundation that is not affiliated with KaiserPermanente.