As Congressional Republicans weigh main cuts to Medicaid, most voters don’t wish to see the general public well being plan’s funding dialed again, in keeping with a ballot launched Friday by KFF, a nonpartisan well being analysis agency.
Simply 17 % of respondents mentioned they supported cuts to Medicaid, the federal government medical health insurance program that covers greater than 70 million individuals. Forty % mentioned they wished to maintain spending unchanged, and 42 % mentioned they want it elevated.
However on the identical time, the ballot discovered vital assist for sure insurance policies that will restrict this system, equivalent to requiring enrollees to work. Greater than 60 % of voters — and 47 % of Democrats — supported a piece requirement, the ballot discovered.
That change, which has been championed by some congressional Republicans, is estimated to chop about $100 billion from Medicaid, as those that have been unemployed — or couldn’t file the paperwork exhibiting that they had a job — would not be coated. This system’s price was $584 billion in 2024, or about 8 % of complete federal spending.
The ballot additionally illustrated Medicaid’s large attain, with simply over half of respondents saying that both they or a member of the family had at one level had Medicaid protection. There was practically common settlement that Medicaid mattered to voters’ native communities, with 98 % of Democrats and 94 % of Republicans saying they thought it was considerably or essential.
Republicans in Congress are contemplating a number of modifications to Medicaid as they search for methods to pay for President Trump’s tax cuts. Final month, the Home handed a finances that, if accredited by the Senate and signed by the president, might trim as a lot as $880 billion from this system over the subsequent decade. That would occur with work necessities, caps on federal spending for this system, or lowering the share of prices the federal authorities pays.
Though ballot respondents have been usually in favor of labor necessities, they held misconceptions in regards to the coverage: Sixty-two % of voters thought that almost all Medicaid enrollees are unemployed, when the truth is a overwhelming majority have jobs.
Republican voters additionally expressed an openness to slicing funding for the Reasonably priced Care Act Medicaid enlargement. Proper now, the federal authorities pays 90 % of the prices for individuals within the enlargement, who are typically wholesome adults. That could be a larger share than what it covers for different enrollees, equivalent to youngsters or disabled individuals.
Sixty-four % of Republican voters — and 40 % of voters general — mentioned they might assist lowering the federal authorities’s contribution to Medicaid enlargement. Home Republicans proceed to weigh this feature, despite the fact that Speaker Mike Johnson mentioned final week it was not on the desk.
Voters’ opinions on lowering Medicaid enlargement funding appeared malleable, nevertheless, within the face of further data.
When respondents got extra details about the coverage, together with the truth that tens of millions might lose protection, Republican assist fell to 43 %. However being instructed that the change would lower federal spending by about $600 billion elevated assist to 73 %.
The polling appears much like what Individuals felt through the Reasonably priced Care Act repeal debate in 2017, when Republicans did not roll again the legislation largely due to political opposition to Medicaid cuts. Again then, 70 % of voters supported work necessities and 36 % favored slicing Medicaid enlargement funding.
“Medicaid is a highly regarded program amongst a large swath of the general public together with Republicans,” mentioned Mollyann Brodie, KFF’s govt director of survey analysis.
However, she added, “opinions could possibly be shortly moved within the context of debate the place individuals study extra data and really feel their protection is threatened.”
