Medicaid is a critical safety net, providing healthcare coverage to nearly 74 million Americans. In a new national survey of 10,000 registered voters, nearly nine in ten (89%) believe it is important for the U.S. to have a strong, sustainable Medicaid program, and a decisive majority (84%) say it’s important for policymakers to ensure that changes to the Medicaid program do not impact coverage or care for eligible individuals.
These findings come as key Medicaid provisions included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) begin to take effect, threatening access to care and financial security for low-income individuals, children, older adults, veterans and people with disabilities.
OBBBA is projected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by $911 billion over the next 10 years and cause over 5 million Medicaid beneficiaries to lose coverage and become uninsured by 2034. Early implementation of Medicaid community engagement requirements, also known as “work requirements,” has already imposed additional processes and requirements on enrollment, contributing to state-level coverage losses.
The poll surveyed a national sample of approximately 10,000 registered voters. Key findings include:
- 84% of voters — including 91% of Democrats, 80% of Independents and 80% of Republicans — say it’s important for policymakers to ensure that changes to the Medicaid program do not cause eligible individuals to lose coverage, raise healthcare costs, delay care or reduce the number of providers in their communities.
- Nearly four in five voters (78%) have a favorable view of Medicaid. Voters are 5.8 times more likely to have a favorable view of Medicaid than an unfavorable view.
- Nearly all voters (89%) believe it is important or very important to have a strong, sustainable Medicaid program in the United States.
- Nearly two-thirds of voters (63%) oppose cutting funding for Medicaid, including 47% who strongly oppose cuts.
These and other findings, including in-depth, state-by-state enrollment data and polling, can be found in the 2026 Medicaid Dashboard.
The latest enrollment, polling and funding data now available on MMA’s Medicaid Dashboard underscores Medicaid’s important role in the lives of American families and in the strength of the nation’s broader healthcare system. MMA and its members remain committed to working with policymakers to ensure Medicaid continues to fulfill that role. To learn more, visit the links below.
The Medicaid Dashboard can be found here.
See the polling memo here.
About the Modern Medicaid Alliance: The Modern Medicaid Alliance is a partnership between Americans who value Medicaid and more than 150 leading advocacy organizations representing patients, health care workers, children, older adults, people with disabilities, pregnant and postpartum women and health plans. Our mission is to educate policymakers and the public about the benefits of Medicaid to the American people in terms of cost savings, health outcomes and social impact and to highlight how Medicaid is innovating in the delivery of care — especially for America’s most vulnerable citizens — and accountability of the program.
For Modern Medicaid Alliance news and updates, visit ModernMedicaid.org and follow us on X/Twitter @modernmedicaid or facebook.com/ModernMedicaid.