HealthDay News — According to a report published by Kaiser Health News, most Americans feel that Medicaid should continue as it is today and their support for the health law is increasing.
The monthly tracking poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation found an increase in support for the health law, up to 48% in February, representing a 5-point increase since the December poll.
Furthermore, 60% of people said that they were not in favor of the current GOP proposals for allowing state control of Medicaid or changing the federal funding method.
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The increase in the health law’s popularity is largely due to an increase in support among independents, with approval at 50%. Most Democrats approve of the law (73%), while most Republicans disapprove (74%), continuing the trend dating to passage of the law.
Republicans tend to be evenly divided about wanting or not wanting repeal of the law (47 and 48%, respectively), but only 18% of those favoring repeal support working out the replacement details later. Among Republicans, 31, 48, and 16% favor immediate repeal, support simultaneous repeal and replacement, and don’t want the law repealed, respectively.
Nearly two-thirds of those polled preferred the current Medicaid program to a block grant that would give states more flexibility but limit Medicaid’s budget, or a per capita cap, which would limit funding to states, but allow federal funding to increase.
Reference
Rovner J. “Support For Health Law Grows, Leaving Republicans In A Bind.” Kaiser Health News. Updated February 24, 2017. Available at: http://khn.org/news/support-for-health-law-grows-leaving-republicans-in-a-bind/. Accessed March 15, 2017.
