While Republicans in Congress weighs major discounts in Medicaid, most voters do not want to see the financing of the public health plan again, according to reconnaissance On Friday by KFF, a non -partisan health research company.
Only 17 percent of the respondents said they supported the cuts in the Medicaid program, a government health insurance program that covers more than 70 million people. Forty percent said they wanted to continue spending unchanged, and 42 percent said they wanted to increase this.
But at the same time, the poll found great support for some policies that would limit the program, such as demanding registrants to work. The poll found that more than 60 percent of voters – and 47 percent of Democrats – supported the work condition.
This change, which was defended by some Republicans in Congress, IS estimated s To reduce about $ 100 billion from Medicaid, because those who were unemployed – or were unable to provide paperwork that turned out to have a job – will not be covered. The cost of the program was 584 billion dollars in 2024Or about 8 percent of the total federal spending.
The poll also made clear access to medicaid on a large scale, saying slightly more than half of the respondents said they or a family member at some point have Medicaid coverage. There was almost a global agreement that Medicaid was important for local communities of voters, with 98 percent of Democrats and 94 percent of Republicans saying they believed it was somewhat or very important.
Republicans in Congress are considering many changes on Medicaid because they are looking for ways to pay tax discounts for President Trump. Last month, the House of Representatives approved a budget, if it was approved by the Senate and signing it by the president, it could cut up to $ 880 billion of the program during the next decade. This can happen with work requirements, or caps on federal spending of the program, or reducing the cost of the cost of the federal government.
Although the respondents in the polls were supporting the requirements of work in general, they kept wrong concepts about politics: they thought sixty percent of the voters that most of the Medicaid were unemployed, in reality. The vast majority have functions.
Republican voters have also expressed openness to reducing funding for the law of reasonable expansion of Medicine. Currently, the federal government pays 90 percent of the costs of the expansion participants, who tend to be healthy adults. This is a higher share of what it covers for other registrants, such as children or disabled people.
They will support reduction in the federal government to expand medical aid. Republicans in the House of Representatives continue to weigh this option, although the spokesman Mike Johnson said last week that he was not at the table.
Voter opinions seem to be able to reduce the financing of Medicaid flexible, however, in the face of additional information.
When the respondents were granted more information about this policy, including the fact that millions can lose coverage, Republican support fell to 43 percent. But the statement that the change will reduce federal spending by about $ 600 billion to increase support to 73 percent.
The polling appears to be similar to what the Americans felt during reasonable care law in 2017, when the Republicans failed to decline the law to a large extent due to the political opposition to Medicid discounts. at that time70 percent of voters supported work requirements and 36 percent preferred to cut the financing for the expansion of medical aid.
“Medicaid is a very common program among a wide range of audiences, including Republicans,” said Mallian Brody, CEO of survey research at KFF.
But she added: “Opinions can quickly be transferred in the context of the discussion, as people learn more information and feel that their coverage is threatened.”