The respected Kaiser Family Foundation health tracking poll released today confirms what we’ve been saying here at CCF for years – Medicaid is an extremely popular program that is a critical part of our health system. I recently detailed how Medicaid’s increasing importance to Americans has had a noticeable effect on health policy debates. Now Kaiser’s survey finds:
- Six in ten Americans say Medicaid is either “very” or “somewhat” important to them personally or to their family.
- Overwhelming majorities of Democrats, Republicans and Independents all say it is important for states that have expanded Medicaid to keep the federal funds to do so.
- 71% of Americans support keeping Medicaid as it is today rather than cutting it with limits like block grants or per capita caps.
Interestingly, on the issue of cutting Medicaid through block grants or caps even Republicans were closely divided, with about half opposing Medicaid cuts through caps and block grants.
Right now the American Health Care Act in Congress cuts Medicaid funding by $834 billion according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. And President Trump’s proposed budget would cut Medicaid spending additionally by over $600 billion. Cutting over $1 trillion overall from Medicaid would mean reducing program funding by about half and cutting health care eligibility and services for millions of children, parents, people with disabilities, the elderly and low-income adults.
