FACT BRIEF

Do polls paint a mixed picture of claimed US support for 'Medicare for all'?

Friday, November 13, 2020

By Christopher Hutton

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YES

While proponents note polling that shows majority support for "Medicare for all," other surveys show support ebbs as Americans consider some specific aspects of any far-reaching health care reform.

Polling by KFF, a leading health-care think tank, shows 74% of Americans support more government involvement in health care (although Republican support has fallen steadily over the past 15 years). The majority favoring a direct government plan, often billed as the Medicare for all option, is less robust, most recently measured at 53%.

Language and positioning matters a lot. "Medicare for all" as a term is viewed positively by 63% of the public, while "socialized medicine" is viewed positively by only 44%, KFF says. When told that such a reform would lead to higher taxes or eliminate private health-insurance companies, support falls significantly below majority levels.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

KFF: Tracking public opinion on a national health plan—all polling

KFF: Public opinion on single-payer, national health plans and expanding access to Medicare coverage

Pew Research: Increasing share of Americans favor a single government program to provide health care coverage

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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.