For many years, the policy known as Medicare for All was seen in some circles as a provocative progressive pipe dream. Even many Democratic officials who were inclined to support the idea in the abstract were reluctant to acknowledge their position for fear of a public backlash.

Now seems like a good time, however, to reassess some of those old assumptions about the American mainstream and its attitudes toward systemic reform. The latest KFF Health Tracking Poll took a closer look at healthcare issues in the run-up to the midterm elections, and it included one result that might jolt the broader policy debate. From the KFF report on its findings:

Reflecting the increased attention to Medicare-for-all in congressional races where some progressive Democrats have campaigned on it, two-thirds (66%) of U.S. adults now support Medicare-for-all, up from 53% when KFF last asked the question in October 2020.

The policy research and news organization has been polling on the issue for a decade, and support for Medicare for All has never been close to this high. In fact, as recently as 2019, the public was almost evenly split, with proponents barely outpacing critics, 51% to 47%. Now, it’s a roughly 2-1 split.

Not surprisingly, the partisan gap is enormous: 84% of Democrats expressed support for the idea, while 66% of Republicans opposed it. That said, independents are much closer to Democrats on the issue: 72% of independents said they back the change.

What’s more, it’s also worth emphasizing that even among GOP voters, support for Medicare for All has gone up: In 2020, only about 1 in 5 (21%) Republicans favored the idea. Now, it’s roughly a third of the party’s voters (34%). That’s a far cry from a majority within the party, but it’s nevertheless a reflection of which way the winds are blowing.

With this in mind, independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont probably won’t be the only national progressive figure touting Medicare for All. With the 2028 presidential race around the corner, it shouldn’t surprise anyone to see leading Democratic contenders embrace a reform model backed by 66% of the country.

The post National poll shows unprecedented public support for Medicare for All appeared first on MS NOW.

Author: Source Author

From MS Now.