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Poll: Most Americans Don’t Realize How
Dramatically the Medicare-for-all Proposals Would Revamp the Nation’s Health
Care System
Health Care and Women’s Issues Emerge as Top
Topics for Democrats ahead of First Presidential Debates
As Congress and the Democratic presidential
candidates continue to discuss Medicare-for-all and other proposals to expand
public health coverage, most Americans know little about how the leading
Medicare-for-all proposals would reshape the way all Americans get and pay
for health care.
This month’s KFF Health Tracking Poll probes the public’s awareness
of key elements of proposals to create a national health plan, including the
leading Medicare-for-all bills introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep.
Pramila Jayapal.
While half (53%) think that Medicare-for-all would
mean private health insurance would no longer be the primary way Americans
get health coverage, a substantial share believe that under such a system,
private insurers would continue to cover most Americans (40%) or don’t know
(7%). In addition, while 62% think that Medicare-for-all would result in all
U.S. residents having health coverage, a significant share (34%) do not think
this would happen.
On most other major features of the
Medicare-for-all proposals, majorities of Americans are unaware of the kind
of dramatic changes that the plans would bring to the nation’s health care
system. For example:
One aspect of the leading Medicare-for-all
proposals is widely understood: Its impact on taxes. The survey finds eight
in 10 Americans (78%) are aware that taxes would increase for most people
under such a plan.
There is a partisan divide on some aspects of how
a national health plan would affect people and health care providers.
Three-fourths of Democrats (76%) say that all U.S.
residents would have health insurance coverage under a national health plan
compared to 45% of Republicans. On the flip side, almost two-thirds of
Republicans (64%) say a national health plan would lead to doctors and
hospitals being paid less, while fewer Democrats (42%) say this would happen.
Large shares of independents believe both of these things would happen, with
six in 10 (61%) saying all U.S. residents would get health coverage and half
saying doctors and hospitals would be paid less.
With the first Democratic presidential debates set
for June 26 and 27, the poll also probes what Democrats and
Democratic-leaning independents most want to hear the candidates discuss.
Health care emerges as the top issue, with 87% saying it is “very important”
for candidates to discuss in the debates.
Amid news coverage about abortion restrictions and
the #MeToo movement, issues affecting women ranks second among Democrats and
Democratic-leaning independents, with 80% saying this is “very important” for
candidates to talk about. Other top issues for Democrats include climate
change (73%), gun policy (72%), income inequality (70%), the economy (69%)
and immigration (66%).
When asked specifically what aspect of health care
that they want to hear about, nearly three in 10 Democrats and Democratic
leaners (28%) mention concerns around lowering the amount people pay people
for health care. Another 8% mention lowering the cost of prescription drugs.
Somewhat fewer mention increasing access to health
care (18%) while an additional 15% explicitly mentioning implementing a
single-payer or Medicare-for-all system. One in six mention protecting the
Affordable Care Act (16%), and a smaller share mentions access to
reproductive health services (8%).
The issue of Medicare-for-all resonates more with
liberal Democrats than with moderate ones. Among liberal Democrats and
Democratic-leaning independents, a quarter (23%) explicitly name implementing
a single-payer or Medicare-for-all system as their top health care issue.
Among moderate Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, just 9% cite
Medicare-for-all as their top health care issue, while three times as many
cite lowering the amount people pay for health care (34%).
Designed and analyzed by public opinion
researchers at KFF, the poll was conducted May 30-June 4, 2019 among a
nationally representative random digit dial telephone sample of 1,206 adults.
Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish by landline (298) and cell
phone (908). The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage
points for the full sample. For results based on subgroups, the margin of
sampling error may be higher.
Filling the need for trusted information on
national health issues, the Kaiser Family Foundation is a
nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California.
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Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Poll: Most Americans Don’t Realize How Dramatically the Medicare-for-all Proposals Would Revamp the Nation’s Health Care System
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