Healthcare tops voter priorities heading into 2018 mid-term elections
As with many issues, there's a party divide, with healthcare a much higher priority for Democrats and independent voters than Republican voters.
Healthcare is the number one issue that voters want candidates to talk about heading into the 2018 midterm elections, according to the Kaiser Health Tracking Poll released Friday by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
As with many issues, however, there's a party divide, with healthcare a much higher priority for Democrats (39 percent) and independent voters (32 percent) than with Republican voters (13 percent).
[Also: Voters disapprove of how Trump administration is handling healthcare, Quinnipiac poll shows]
As Congress continues hashing out a federal budget, some lawmakers have suggested making cuts to government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. According to the poll, language matters when framing the questions about government spending on the programs. About 7 percent say they want to see Congress decrease spending on Medicare and Medicaid. But when asked about government spending using broad terms like "welfare" or "entitlement programs," 32 and 27 percent, respectively, say they want to see spending decrease.
Most of those polled believe Medicaid is primarily a government health insurance program that helps people pay for healthcare; about 27 percent believe it's a welfare program. Again, there are partisan differences: 82 percent of Democrats and 72 percent of independents call it a government insurance program, while 46 percent of Republicans label it a welfare program.
[Also: Voters oppose GOP health plan 3-1, Quinnipiac poll finds]
While healthcare is the top issue for voters nationally, it ranks lower among those living in areas in which there are competitive House, Senate or governor races. Voters living in areas with competitive elections prefer candidates talk about the economy and jobs. North Korea and immigration were also important topics, with healthcare coming in fourth among such voters.
Another key finding was voters have become more favorable in their views of the Affordable Care Act; 50 percent say they have a favorable view, to 42 percent unfavorable.
Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com
