Medicare for All is less popular among voters than a plan to build off of the existing Affordable Care Act, according to a new poll in the first three battleground states for the Democratic presidential nomination.
The polling, conducted in the “blue wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin by Third Way, shows a sharp divide between those who support Medicare for All and those who don’t.
According to the poll, Medicare for All is just as unpopular in Michigan and Pennsylvania as President Trump’s plan to repeal and replace Obamacare. Only 41% of respondents in Michigan and 40% of respondents in Pennsylvania said they supported the policy. In Wisconsin, 47% of respondents supported Medicare for All.
The majority of voters in the three states also think Medicare for All will raise middle-class taxes, according to the poll which surveyed a total of 3,506 voters in the three states.
The subject of healthcare is no less important in Iowa, according to a Harris Poll conducted by AARP.
“It’s almost impossible to overstate how important healthcare costs are—to voters generally but especially to women,” AARP’s Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer Nancy LeaMond said. In Iowa and elsewhere, “healthcare costs are above jobs, the economy, all of these other issues.”
Iowa Democratic women age 50-plus were split on the prospect of replacing the current system with a government-run health-scare system, with 43% in favor and 42% opposed. But 84% of Democrats favored “giving people the option to switch their insurance to a government-run health care system,” the Harris poll found.
“Older women plan to turn out in force this election year, and polling shows that most haven’t made up their minds about who they’re voting for,” LeaMond said.
“A big factor in their decision will likely be what candidates will do to lower healthcare costs. Candidates would be wise to focus on this pressing, top-of-mind issue and continue talking about their plans to cut high drug prices,” she added.
Medicare for All has become a rallying cry among progressives and is championed by presidential candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). But both senators are also taking heat for the price tag their plans carry.