Poll: Democrats Outweigh Republicans in ACA Concern, Trustworthiness
TL/DR –
The future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a key issue for Democratic voters, with 70% considering it a “very important” issue, as opposed to 32% of Republican voters, according to a new KFF Health Tracking Poll. The poll also showed a 20 percentage-point advantage for the Democratic Party over the Republican Party when it came to trust in handling the ACA issue, with 59% versus 39% respectively. In addition to ACA, the respondents considered inflation and the affordability of healthcare as the top issues for the 2024 presidential candidates to discuss.
New Poll Reveals Affordable Care Act is More Important to Democratic Voters
The future of the Affordable Care Act, previously a significant issue for Republican voters, now holds more weight for Democratic voters, according to a recent KFF Health Tracking Poll. About 49% of voters consider the future of the Act a crucial issue, with Democratic voters (70%) outnumbering Republican voters (32%).
The poll, conducted before ex-President Donald Trump’s comments about replacing the Act, shows a 20% trust gap favoring the Democratic Party on this issue. The Democrats have the trust of the majority of their voters (94%) and most independent voters (61%). However, 77% of Republican voters trust their party to manage the ACA’s future.
The survey questioned voters about topics they want 2024 presidential candidates to address. Inflation was the primary concern (86%), followed closely by the affordability of health care (80%). Other vital issues included Medicare and Medicaid’s future (75%), mental health care access (70%), immigration (65%), gun violence (65%), and prescription drug costs (64%).
Other notable findings include:
Medicaid Coverage: Most Medicaid enrollees (58%) are unaware of states’ efforts to review eligibility, potentially resulting in coverage loss. After pandemic-era protections expired, state Medicaid programs began these reviews, leading to millions losing their coverage. About 68% of the general public also reported being uninformed about this issue.
Medicare Drug-Price Provisions: Roughly a third (32%) of the public are aware of the Inflation Reduction Act, which mandates federal government negotiation for some Medicare prescription drug prices. Additionally, only a quarter of the public know about capped $35 monthly insulin costs and limited annual out-of-pocket drug expenses for Medicare enrollees.
Abortion as a Voting Issue: One in four voters (24%) states they would only vote for a candidate who shares their abortion views, with higher percentages among Democratic men (35%) and women (31%). Among Republican voters opposed to abortion, 27% would only support a like-minded candidate.
The survey, conducted between October 31 and November 7, 2023, included a representative sample of 1,401 US adults, 1,072 of whom are registered voters. The margin of sampling error is estimated at plus or minus 4 percentage points.
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