A lot has been done in recent months about the apparent surge in support for single-payer government run healthcare. Coinciding with his 2020 presidential announcement, Senator Bernie Sanders made “Medicare for All” a cornerstone of his platform. He started with the proposed legislation he penned, and polling seemed to surge demonstrating broad support for the concept.
Recent polling demonstrated that anywhere from 56% to 70% of Americans favored the initiative, including surprisingly high numbers of Republicans. So, what gives? The Kaiser Family Foundation just provided clarity. Most people have no idea what “Medicare for All” as proposed by Bernie Sanders means.
Kaiser, evidently suspecting an informational disconnect, polled people on specific questions pertaining to their understanding of what “Medicare for All” would mean. Long story short, at the high end only 31% have a real idea, and that’s being generous.
Vast majorities of Americans are under the notion that we would still have private healthcare options, service, and employer-sponsored coverage. Generally, it seems that most simply think it would mean healthcare for everyone, rather than government run single payer healthcare for everyone. That matters big time for this very important reason. According to Gallup’s most recent work on the subject, 69% rate their current healthcare options as excellent with 80% saying at least good.
In other words, it’s likely that at least 80% of Americans oppose “Medicare for All” for what it actually is, rather than what they perceive it to be.
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