Voters across Georgia, Michigan, Colorado, and Pennsylvania point to high costs, insurance barriers, and emerging technology risks while expressing support for bipartisan solutions
WASHINGTON, DC – Voters across key battleground states hold deep and widespread frustration with the nation’s health insurance system and concern about the implications of artificial intelligence (AI), according to newly released focus group research commissioned by the national mental health advocacy organization Inseparable. Across party lines, voters described a system that is difficult to navigate, unaffordable, and too often puts access to care out of reach. In response, strong bipartisan majorities backed practical reforms to expand access, lower costs, establish guardrails for AI, and hold insurance companies accountable.
The research, conducted by Meeting Street Insights, included eight individual focus groups, totalling 78 voters (20 Republicans, 20 Independents, 18 Democrats, 20 parents who do not identify with a party) across four major swing states: Georgia, Michigan, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. The focus group sessions, conducted in February and March 2026, explored public attitudes toward the state of health insurance and access to care, youth mental health, and the growing role of AI in mental health – along with testing support for related policy solutions.
Health Insurance: Cost, Confusion, and Barriers to Care
Across the groups, the majority of participants expressed deep disappointment with health insurance companies, perceiving them as focused on profits to the detriment of patient care. Voters consistently pointed to affordability and access as major challenges, with many sharing firsthand experiences navigating a confusing system that delays or denies care.
When asked to describe health insurance companies in one word, responses were overwhelmingly negative, including: “frustrating,” “expensive,” “convoluted,” “complicated,” and “profit-driven.”
Many participants shared personal experiences highlighting just how difficult it can be to find and afford mental healthcare services:
- “My husband died last year and it took me six months to find an appointment with a therapist for my children. By that point, we had already worked through so many of our issues on our own, what was even the point?” – Pennsylvania Mother
- “I don’t like the lack of transparency in health care that exists right now. I would never go anywhere in the country and buy something and then wait three months and figure out what I actually owe.” – Georgia Republican Man
- “As a health care employee, definitely (health care is a concern). Because I see so many people that can’t afford their medications. I struggle. I can’t even afford the services that I provide.” – Colorado Independent Woman
- “They’re basing decisions on, is this going to cost us money or is this going to increase our profit? Almost every time… the decision was made on money.” – Colorado Democratic Man
Across party lines, voters were united in support of policy solutions to improve access and accountability. Each of the tested proposals received 74 percent or more support across the focus groups, including:
- Requiring insurers to cover mental health emergencies the same as physical health emergencies.
- Ensuring accurate and up-to-date provider directories.
- Guaranteeing out-of-network care at no extra cost when in-network providers are unavailable.
- Prohibiting insurers from denying coverage for care recommended by a doctor and supported by clinical standards.
- Requiring insurers to publicly report on approvals, delays, and access to care.
Youth Mental Health: A Growing and Urgent Concern
Concern about youth mental health is high across all groups, with most voters saying conditions are getting worse. Participants cited social media, isolation, pandemic disruptions, and financial stress on families as key contributing factors.
“They all also have challenges we never had, like growing up during a pandemic and then social media. It’s isolating kids.” – Georgia Republican Man
Voters broadly support schools playing a role in addressing youth mental health, particularly by partnering with parents, identifying early warning signs, and connecting students to care.
Artificial Intelligence: Benefits Recognized, But Concerns Remain – Particularly for Kids
Voters expressed mixed but increasingly urgent views on AI – recognizing its potential benefits while voicing deep concerns about safety, accuracy, and misuse, especially when it comes to children and mental health. While many participants already use AI tools, trust in the technology – particularly in sensitive settings like mental health – remains low.
Participants said AI could help expand access or support lower-level needs, but drew a clear line: it should never replace human care. Concerns about misinformation, privacy, job loss, and over reliance on technology were widespread, while the most intense and consistent concerns centered on the impact of AI on young people. Across groups, voters worried about increased isolation, exposure to harmful or inaccurate information, and the lack of safeguards for kids interacting with AI.
“It kind of takes away from human connection…you’re on the screen more, you’re not interacting with people, you’re very isolated.” – Michigan Republican Woman
These concerns translate into a strong appetite for action. Voters overwhelmingly support stronger guardrails for AI, with four in five strongly agreeing that regulation is necessary to keep the technology safe.
Proposed AI policies received near-universal support (92–99 percent), including:
- Requiring human oversight of AI used in mental health care
- Prohibiting AI-only insurance denials
- Requiring clear disclosure when users are interacting with AI
- Establishing stronger protections for children, including parental notification in cases of self-harm risk
- Requiring safety-by-design standards for AI tools used by minors
Taken together, the findings point to a clear mandate: voters want to harness the benefits of AI, but with strong, enforceable safeguards – especially to protect young people.
“What we heard in these focus groups is frustration, but also urgency,” said Bill Smith, Founder & CEO of Inseparable. “People are struggling to find and afford care, worried about their kids’ mental health, and increasingly concerned about how new technologies like AI are being used. They want a system they can trust – one that is affordable, transparent, and accountable – and they overwhelmingly support commonsense safeguards to protect patients, especially young people. That kind of alignment across voters is rare, and policymakers should take notice.”
These findings come following the release of Inseparable’s 2026 Workforce Report, which revealed that no state comes close to meeting its mental health workforce needs – often as a result of misaligned policies, burdensome requirements, and harmful insurance practices.
About Inseparable
Inseparable is a leading mental health advocacy organization founded on the belief that mental health is inseparable from physical health. Inseparable drives transformative change at the federal and state levels by engaging policymakers, mobilizing support and advancing mental health and substance use disorder policies that help people thrive. Inseparable works to expand coverage of care, promote youth mental health, improve crisis response and bolster the mental health workforce.