The Kaiser Foundation just released a poll on one of the most pressing state policy issues–Medicaid. The results are stunning in that the level of support for the program is higher than I would have expected, but then again, many, many people interact with the program on some level:
Washington, DC– Perhaps surprisingly given years of debate about Medicaid, frequent references to the program as the ?Pac Man? of state budgets, and periodic calls for reform, public attitudes toward Medicaid are remarkably positive, and opposition to cuts is reasonably strong, according to a new public opinion survey released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
While two-thirds of the public think their state has major budget problems, a substantial majority are reluctant to cut Medicaid to balance state budgets, and a majority think the federal government should maintain (44%) or increase (36%) federal spending on Medicaid; only 12% of the public prefer seeing federal funding of Medicaid cut.
Attitudes Towards Medicaid
Nearly three-quarters (74%) of adults say Medicaid is a ?very important” government program, ranking it close to Social Security (88%) and Medicare (83%) in the public?s mind, equal to federal aid to public schools (74%), and above defense and military spending (57%). About 8 in 10 Democrats (82%) and Independents (79%) view Medicaid as an important government program, while fewer, but still 6 in 10 Republicans (61%) express that view.
A majority of Americans (56%) report having some interaction with Medicaid, either having been enrolled themselves at some point (16%) or knowing a friend or family member who has received health coverage or long-term care assistance through the program (40%). Additionally, if they needed health care and were eligible, nearly 8 in 10 Americans (78%) say they would be willing to enroll in Medicaid. This view is consistent across different party identifications.
“We expected Medicaid to be relatively unpopular with the public, much like welfare was. But we found that Medicaid ranks closer to popular programs like Medicare and Social Security in the public?s mind. The fact that so many Americans have had some kind of contact with Medicaid themselves or through family and friends is one factor that could help explain this result,” said Mollyann Brodie, Ph.D., Vice President and Director of Public Opinion and Media Research for the Foundation.
ArchPundit