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KFF designs, conducts and analyzes original public opinion and survey research on Americans’ attitudes, knowledge, and experiences with the health care system to help amplify the public’s voice in major national debates.
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At a time when debate is beginning about a national Medicare-for-all plan and other approaches to expanding coverage through public programs, this month’s KFF Health Tracking poll examines Americans’ early opinion on a range of options under consideration.
This month's KFF Health Tracking Poll finds that about four in ten are aware of the federal judge's ruling that the ACA is no longer valid but once made aware, most disapprove of the ruling. This poll also examines the public's favorability toward expanding the role of public health care programs, and majorities across partisan groups have a favorable opinion of programs such as Medicare buy-in and Medicaid buy-in, with a national Medicare-for-all being less popular but still receiving a majority of support overall.
Here's how public opinion of the ACA has fluctuated through key political moments since its passage.
Our November tracking poll found that favorability of Medicaid Expansion across all parties has reached its highest point since passage in the Affordable Care Act seven years ago, but favorability has gained the most ground among Democrats.
Fielded a week after the 2018 midterm elections, this poll examines the public’s priorities for the next Congress, measures favorability for ACA provisions including Medicaid expansion, and takes a look at knowledge of the current open enrollment period among adults ages 18-64 who purchase their own insurance or are currently uninsured. With the impending Texas v. United States lawsuit, in addition to several Trump administration policy actions aimed at different aspects of the U.S. health care system, this KFF survey also examines the public’s position on pre-existing conditions protections, prescription drug advertisements, and employer exemptions from covering birth control.
Only 1 in 4 Potential Marketplace Customers Know When ACA Open Enrollment Ends; 1 in 5 Say They Would Buy a Short-Term Plan A large majority of the public backs the Trump Administration’s initiative to require prescription drug advertisements to include information about prices, but fewer support other administrative actions involving pre-existing conditions and contraception…
Drew Altman analyzes the senior health care vote in his Axios column. This group, most likely to vote in the midterms, has more Democrats than Republicans and trusts Democrats more on health. They will give Democrats a real but modest advantage in the election.
With less than two weeks until Election Day, Drew Altman discusses health being the top issue, but not necessarily the top factor in voters' 2018 decisions. He says the longer-term impact of health may be its continuing role in the debate leading up to the 2020 presidential race.
A new analysis featuring data from the KFF Election Tracking Poll released in October 2018 finds that the public trusts the Democratic Party more than the Republican Party when it comes to dealing with health care issues, such as increasing women's access to reproductive services, maintaining Medicaid expansion, and maintaining protections for pre-existing conditions.
In an expansive look at the 2018 midterm elections, this month's KFF Health Tracking Poll includes an in-depth examination of the role health care may be playing in midterm elections nationally, as well as in Florida and Nevada, two bellwether states in which candidates from both parties are talking about health care issues. Health care remains a top priority for Democrats and independents, but ranks lower for Republicans, behind immigration and the economy and jobs. However, when it comes to specific health care issues, lowering health care costs and maintaining protections for pre-existing conditions have bipartisan support. In addition to exploring the role of health care issues in the election, the KFF Health Tracking Poll also finds large shares of voters say candidate characteristics, President Trump, and party control over Congress will be major factors in their voting decisions.
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