As Democratic presidential candidates continue to debate Medicare for All, the latest Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll finds that support for the idea has fallen slightly since April, from 56% to 51%.
Kaiser finds that a majority of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say they prefer health care reforms that expand coverage by building on the Affordable Care Act (55%) rather than replacing the law with a Medicare-for-All system (39%). Nearly two-thirds of Americans now favor a public option, a government-run insurance plan that would be available to all and compete with private insurers. Support for a public option swings considerably, though, depending on what arguments are presented to those being polled:
As Kaiser’s Larry Levitt notes, the poll results show why the Democratic debate is important — and risky: “People have a favorable view of Medicare. They also have a favorable view of employer-provided health insurance and Medicaid. That's why it's so politically perilous to mess with the status quo in health care.”
