A majority of adults are in favor of policies subsidizing some long-term healthcare costs, with support coming from both Democrats and Republicans.
About half of adults reported that assistance for older adults should be funded by Medicare and Medicaid, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center poll.
Seventy-five percent of adults believe long-term care should be funded through Medicare Advantage or supplemental insurance programs. Close to two-thirds of respondents also said they would support a government-administered insurance program, government funding for low-income people to receive long-term care at home, and Social Security earnings credit or tax breaks for those providing long-term care to an older person.
CDC REPORT SHOWS LIFE EXPECTANCY DROPPED 1.8 YEARS IN 2020
Overall, 66% of respondents said they believe it is the federal government’s responsibility to make sure all people in the United States have health insurance coverage, with 73% of people aged 18-49 likely to support vs. 53% of those aged 50 and older.
Republican and Democratic responses tended to be relatively the same, according to the poll. Close to the same number of Republicans and Democrats favor nontaxable funds to pay for long-term care insurance, at 70% and 69%, respectively. The largest party discrepancy concerned the option for low-income people to receive government-funded, long-term care in their homes, with 84% of Democrats vs. 55% of Republicans supporting it.
Overall public satisfaction with the U.S. healthcare system is low, with only 12% believing the government is handling healthcare very or extremely well, the poll found. When asked about healthcare specifics, 74% of adults said the U.S. handles prescription medication costs or mental healthcare “not too/not at all well,” and 70% said the same about mental healthcare.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
White adults tend to have a more negative view of the U.S. healthcare system compared to black and Hispanic adult respondents. When looking at healthcare for older adults, 56% of white adults think it is not too/not at all handled well, with 49% of Hispanic adults and 44% of black adults responding the same.
The poll consisted of 1,505 interviews between July 28 and Aug. 1, with a 3.6% margin of error.
