Polling Shows Most People Are Worried About Significant Cuts to Medicaid Spending

Recent KFF polling tracks public opinion regarding the latest budget reconciliation bill, examining the views of the general public, as well as those who could be most directly impacted by the legislation. The bill includes devastating cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), among other health care provisions. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill would cut federal Medicaid spending by more than $700 billion and terminate Medicaid coverage for more than 10 million people.

Medicaid- and ACA-Covered Republicans, MAGA Supporters Concerned Over Cuts

The polling shows that people who get their coverage from Medicaid and from the ACA marketplaces represent a range of political identities, including people who identify as supporters of the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement. KFF found that most of the public is worried about the consequences of the significant reductions in federal Medicaid spending. Notably, though the bill is solely supported by Republican members of congress, those concerned about the effects include two-thirds or more of Republicans enrolled in Medicaid or with lower incomes who report worry “that Medicaid spending reductions would hurt their families and their communities.”

Rural Residents Largely Worried About Their Communities

The poll also finds that a large majority of rural residents, particularly those with lower incomes, worry about cuts leading to more children and adults losing health care coverage, harm to providers in their communities, and more difficulty accessing or affording health care. KFF notes that “rural healthcare providers, which often rely heavily on Medicaid funding, may be especially vulnerable to the Medicaid cuts in the reconciliation bill.”

Partisan Divide Over Administration’s Policies Generally

Views on the administration’s policies more broadly, and how those policies will impact the country’s health care programs, were “largely partisan,” with most of the public saying the policies will “weaken Medicare and Medicaid, including most Democrats and independents, while most Republicans expect the administration’s policies to strengthen or have no impact on these programs.” Among Republican Medicaid enrollees, however, views are more mixed with similar shares saying the policies will “strengthen, weaken, or have no impact on the program[s] they rely on.”

Medicare Rights Opposes Cuts to Health Care Programs

Medicare Rights opposes cuts to Medicaid, the ACA, and Medicare. We know that terminating health coverage for millions will lead to damaging ripple effects across the entire economy and result in older adults, people with disabilities, caregivers, and working families losing the support they need to protect their health, financial security, access to food, and even their homes.

Read the full report here.