Poll: Nearly Half of Americans Back Single-Payer Health Care
A new study by Politico/Morning Consult shows that only 35 percent of voters are opposed to such a system.
A "Medicare for all" rally in Los Angeles in February. (Molly Adams / CC 2.0)
As Senate Republicans launch a last-ditch attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Democrats flock to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All bill, new polling reveals nearly half of the country wants a national single-payer healthcare plan.
While 49 percent of voters surveyed by Politico/Morning Consult said they supported “a single-payer healthcare system, where all Americans would get their health insurance from one government plan,” only 35 percent opposed it and 17 percent had no opinion.
A government-run plan is even more popular among Democrats, with two-thirds supporting a single-payer system.
The poll also found that healthcare is an influential topic when Americans consider casting votes for representatives in Congress. Among those polled, 58 percent said passing healthcare reform should be “a top priority” for Congress, and healthcare was the second-most popular topic when respondents were asked which issues were on their minds when heading to the ballot box for federal elections.
This new data comes just a week after Sanders, supported by 16 Senate Democrats, introduced a bill that would guarantee healthcare for all Americans by expanding the Medicare program to every U.S. resident.
Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are attempting to dismantle the ACA and dramatically cut Medicaid with legislation co-authored by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.)
The Graham-Cassidy plan—which must be voted on by September 30, as Republicans hope to pass it with simple majority vote—provoked a protest outside the Capitol Building on Tuesday, organized by a coalition of national progressive groups and featuring speeches by multiple members of Congress, including Sanders.
Your support is crucial…“Brothers and sisters we must not take the lifeline of health insurance from millions of our people!” @SenSanders #GrahamCassidyBill pic.twitter.com/Bmxz3btq7F
— PFAW (@peoplefor) September 19, 2017
With an uncertain future and a new administration casting doubt on press freedoms, the danger is clear: The truth is at risk.
Now is the time to give. Your tax-deductible support allows us to dig deeper, delivering fearless investigative reporting and analysis that exposes what’s really happening — without compromise.
Stand with our courageous journalists. Donate today to protect a free press, uphold democracy and unearth untold stories.
Health & Wellness
More than 3 million adults would be at immediate risk of losing coverage if Republicans reverse the expansion of federal Medicaid funding.
Health & Wellness
While 40,000 Dreamers are likely to gain coverage, nearly half a million undocumented immigrants still cannot afford health insurance.
Health & Wellness
Eighteen million Americans could soon lose access to Medicaid.
The people of Mumbra fear that the government is threatening their independence and their identity.
Its decision on an appeal of a lower-court ruling declaring part of the statute unconstitutional is unlikely to come before the election.
Despite campaign promises to replace the Affordable Care Act with something better, the uninsured rate has risen on the president's watch.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.