Healthcare is often treated like a political football.
political football
idiomA contentious political issue or problem that is often debated or discussed, but that remains unresolved; an issue or problem which is avoided by authorities and handed off to others.
Origin
disputed originAn allusion to being "kicked back and forth" by opposing politicians, like a ball.
The city council refused to fix the road, turning the project into a political football between the mayor and the governor.
For decades, the reform of the national pension system has remained a political football, tossed between opposing parties while the underlying economic crisis continues to worsen.