According to a Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll reported by Emmarie Huetteman in the July 30 edition of
Benefits
Pro
, most Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents would prefer to expand the Affordable Care Act rather than replace it with a “Medicare for All” plan, according to a new tracking poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The
poll
, released July 29, also examines opinions on a generic government-run “public option” health plan that would be available to all Americans and compete with private insurance. About two-thirds of the public said they support a public option, though more than 6 in 10 Republicans oppose it.
But the findings noted those opinions are far from set in stone. When told a
public option
would help drive down prices by increasing competition in the insurance market, support rose as high as 75 percent. When told it would lead to too much government involvement in health care, though, support fell to about 4 percent.
Asked to choose between building on the ACA and replacing it with a national Medicare for All plan, 55 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said they would expand the existing law. By comparison, 39 percent said they would prefer replacing the law with Medicare for All.
Respondents also voiced strong support for employer-based insurance, a reality likely to complicate efforts to replace the existing system.
Primary season is when most candidates trot out the proposals that appeal to their party’s more ideologically driven voters, who are kicking the tires on a slate of potential nominees. Support for Medicare for All has become a litmus test for many progressive voters as they contemplate their more than two dozen candidates.
But as the primary season wanes, the remaining candidates traditionally shift toward more incremental proposals, hoping to attract the moderate voters they may need to win the presidency.
The new KFF poll shows the public’s support for the idea of Medicare for All has dipped to about 51 percent, from 56 percent in April.
While the newest numbers show support shifting among both Republicans and Democrats, the share of Democrats who said they “strongly favor” a Medicare for All plan has dropped to 42 percent, from 54 percent in April.
Medicare for All’s slip in popularity has come as Democratic presidential candidates have shared the details of their plans and Republicans have tested out campaign messages about creeping “socialism” in the health care system, suggesting an uphill battle toward making such a plan a reality.
The poll also found strong support for some of the ACA’s key provisions (such as preventing insurers from denying coverage or charging more to those with pre-existing conditions), including among Republicans, as a challenge led by GOP state officials and endorsed by the Trump administration winds through the federal court system.
HEALTH
DENTAL
MEDICARE
DISABILITY
LIFE
