Almost half of Americans favor single-payer healthcare system, poll finds
Republicans polled generally oppose the approach, although the opposition has been dwindling.
Photo courtesy Gage Skidmore
Congressional Republicans may be trying once again to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act with a more market-based approach, but a new poll finds that almost half of Americans favor a plan more in line with the single-payer offering served up earlier this year by progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The POLITICO/Morning Consult poll shows a plurality of voters, 49 percent, said they support a single-payer health system in which all Americans would get their insurance from one government plan. Only 35 percent oppose a single-payer system, while 17 percent of voters expressed no opinion.
[Also: Attitudes towards single payer healthcare are evolving, Merritt Hawkins survey shows]
Perhaps unsurprisingly, support was stronger among Democrats. Two-thirds support a single-payer system, while only 18 percent oppose it. That's a jump even from earlier this year, when a previous POLITICO/Morning Consult pill found 54 percent of Democrats in favor of such a plan.
Support for single-payer has been gaining steam of late. It has become more popular among voters than the so-called "public option," a government-run health insurance agency that would offer coverage in competition with private health insurance companies. Just 44 percent of voters back a public option, though a scant 33 percent oppose it (22 percent have no opinion).
[Also: Senate Democrats don't fall for fake single payer amendment]
Republicans polled generally oppose both the single-payer approach and a public option, although the opposition has been dwindling. Single-payer garnered 33 percent support among the GOP against 52 percent who are opposed, but the line on a public option was more even -- 36 percent support versus 43 percent opposition.
The poll was conducted from September 14-17 among 1,994 registered voters, and has a margin of error of 2 percent.
[Also: Single payer healthcare proposal introduced in California Senate]
On other issues, 62 percent of respondents said they support a proposal to make four-year public colleges and universities tuition-free, while 29 percent oppose it; and 43 percent support a universal base income, while 39 percent oppose it.
Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com
