I‘ve long cautioned readers to view any poll showing overwhelming support for “Medicare for all” with skepticism, and a new poll is a great demonstration of why. While the abstract concept may poll well, any public support rests on an extremely weak foundation and collapses when people are given more context.

At first blush, a new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation would seem to be encouraging news for supporters of national healthcare. The poll finds that 56 percent favor the idea, which the question notes is “sometimes called Medicare for all,” compared to just 42 percent who oppose it.