From January to February, net support for single-payer health system fell over 50% to 12 points
Drop in support comes as top Democrats hash out details of government-sponsored health care proposals.
The elimination of private insurance causes half of ‘Medicare for all’ supporters to rethink their position.
While top Democrats prepare to release health reform bills offering different iterations of single-payer systems and public insurance options and as Democratic presidential hopefuls begin building their health care platforms, “Medicare for all,” a long-cherished dream of progressive lawmakers and advocates, has come under increased fire from opponents who warn voters that they are at risk of losing their private insurance.
The laser focus on expanding the government’s role in health care has coincided with a double-digit slide in net support for “Medicare for all” among voters from January to February, according to new data from a Morning Consult/Politico poll.
Although “Medicare for all” enjoyed net support of 27 percentage points (calculated by subtracting the share of opponents from the share of supporters) among registered voters at the onset of 2019, that share dropped 15 points in the Feb. 7-10 survey, to 12 points.
The poll, which surveyed 1,991 voters and has a margin of error of 2 percentage points, found opposition to a system in which all Americans get their health insurance from the government grew among voters of both political parties, with net support sinking 11 points among Democrats and 21 points among Republicans.
After Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), one of the top Democratic presidential contenders, embraced the possibility of enacting a “Medicare for all” health system that would completely eliminate the private insurance market, “Medicare for all” rapidly crystallized as the first major policy test for Democrats eyeing the nomination.
“Medicare for all” has enjoyed majority support since November, thanks to the widespread, bipartisan popularity of the Medicare program. A Morning Consult survey in July 2018 found 62 percent of adults more likely to vote for a candidate who backed establishing a government-run health system for all Americans.
But with the latest poll showing that 50 percent of voters support “Medicare for all” — now shy of a majority — Democrats are likely to find that turning “Medicare for all” from pipe dream to policy will be an uphill climb.
https://morningconsult.com/201...tumbles-in-new-year/
