Two-thirds of Americans back "Medicare for all" as health costs top voter concerns, KFF poll finds

Two-thirds of US adults now favor a universal government health insurance system often called “Medicare for all,” up from 53% in 2020, according to a KFF poll released on Tuesday.

The survey found 84% of Democrats and 72% of independents in favor, while 66% of Republicans were opposed. Support slipped to 52% when respondents were told the single-payer model would eliminate private insurance plans — still well above the 37% recorded in the 2020 survey.

Healthcare expenses ranked as the leading economic concern: 60% of those surveyed said they were very or somewhat worried about affording health costs, ahead of gasoline (59%) and groceries (52%).

“The public is frustrated with the high cost of healthcare,” said Audrey Kearney, a senior survey analyst at KFF, adding that the frustration “may be leading to a desire for change.”

Medicare, the US government programme covering roughly 70 million people aged 65 and older or with disabilities, has been central to the debate, with Senator Bernie Sanders among those who have called for expanding it.

The poll also found 32% of respondents strongly favored a national health plan and 34% somewhat favored it — a 13-point rise since 2020, the highest since 2016, according to analysis of the KFF findings.

The results land less than a month before the November 3 midterm elections, with several progressive candidates in battleground states campaigning in favor of a government-run health insurance system.