A large majority of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, back a “Medicare for all” policy, according to a new poll that bodes well for progressive backers of “single payer” healthcare.
In total, 70 percent of Americans support a “Medicare for all” program, which would insure all Americans through Medicare, the federal healthcare program for seniors. Only 20 percent of Americans oppose the policy, according to a new Reuters poll.
More than 84 percent of Democrats support the policy, while only 11 percent oppose it. Almost 52 percent of Republicans back the policy, although just over 37 percent remain against it.
The poll comes nearly a year after Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., introduced the Medicare for All Act in September 2017 to enroll all Americans in the federal healthcare program, leaving behind employer-provided insurance.
Sanders touted the results from the Reuters poll later Thursday afternoon as he commented on the “momentum” building among “Medicare for all” advocates.
“Incredible. According to a new poll 70 percent of Americans now support Medicare for all—including 52 percent of Republicans! The momentum is with us,” Sanders tweeted.
[More: Hospitals present a major roadblock to Medicare for All Act]
Incredible. According to a new poll 70 percent of Americans now support Medicare for all—including 52 percent of Republicans! The momentum is with us. pic.twitter.com/6V8G8E35Nb
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) August 23, 2018
According to a study released last month from the Mercatus Center think tank at George Mason University, expanding Medicare to cover all Americans would come at a steep price, in terms of taxes. The federal government would have to pick up a tab of $32.6 trillion over the next 10 years to fund the program, the study found, although total healthcare spending by both the government and private sector could fall, depending on the assumptions used.
“Medicare for all” has gained popularity among Democratic candidates for the 2018 midterms, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who defeated incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley, D-N.Y., in a primary race in June.
