An overwhelming majority of voters – including more than half of Trump voters – are opposed to Congressional proposals to cut Medicaid to pay for tax cuts, according to a new poll from leading Republican polling firm FabrizioWard.
The national poll is one of the first to weigh voters’ views on using Medicaid as a pay-for as part of budget negotiations in Congress, underscoring the personal impact of the program for millions of Americans and the political risk in jeopardizing their coverage and benefits. Recent federal budget proposals have indicated significant cuts to the Medicaid program, including funding reductions up to $880 billion over the next decade.
“There is no appetite across the political spectrum for cutting Medicaid to pay for tax cuts,” Tony Fabrizio, Bob Ward, and John Ward said. “Medicaid is well-liked by most voters, in large part due to the broad impact it has across the electorate and the high level of importance voters place on as many Americans as possible having health insurance. Opposition is high to cutting the program generally and is especially high for cutting funding for CHIP and the help Medicaid provides seniors.”
Key findings from the poll include:
- Almost half of all voters have a personal or family connection to Medicaid, with just under a quarter either on Medicaid currently or were previously enrolled.
- An additional 23% have family members who are receiving Medicaid or have received it in the past.
- About 1-in-5 Trump voters are or have been on Medicaid, with another 1-in-5 who have family Medicaid connections.
- 3-in-4 voters view Medicaid favorably overall, with large majorities of Trump voters (61%) and Swing voters (72%) having favorable views of the program.
- Large majorities oppose specific Medicaid cuts to programs that support patients, notably:
- 71% of voters oppose cuts to the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), with 71% of Swing voters and 54% of Trump voters opposed;
- 69% oppose cuts to long-term services for seniors who have spent down their savings, with 68% of Swing voters and 54% of Trump voters opposed;
- 68% oppose cutting aid for low-income seniors’ Medicare premiums, with 70% of Swing voters and 55% of Trump voters opposed;
- 64% oppose cutting maternal care for low-income mothers, with 63% of Swing voters and 48% of Trump voters opposed.
- When asked specifically if voters support or oppose cutting Medicaid spending to pay for tax cuts, they oppose it by a 50-point margin, 70% – 20%, with a 54% majority strongly opposing cutting Medicaid to pay for tax cuts.
- Two-thirds of Swing voters oppose this, as do Trump voters by a 15-point margin.
To view the findings, click here.