Foster City, CA, Sept. 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Insure.com, a comprehensive resource for insurance information, today released a health trends survey ahead of the 2020 national election showing support for a public option in health insurance.
The survey of 500 people was conducted by third-party pollster, Op4G, with a balanced split of self-identified party affiliations. Most said they intend to vote in the upcoming election, (95% of Republicans, 94% of Democrats, 81% of Independents), so the survey foreshadows the public’s health insurance preferences and sentiment as the 2020 races begin to heat up.
The poll finds a strong majority of bipartisan support for healthcare reform, with more than two-thirds of respondents rooting for significant changes in health insurance cost or access. While Medicare for all has gotten lots of publicity, Insure.com finds that a public option is the most popular solution. Of all those polled:
- 28% support a public health care option
- 21% favor Medicare for all (without private health insurance)
- 21% prefer Medicare for all (with private insurance available)
- 16% would like to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
- 7% would change nothing
“More than two-thirds of Americans are looking for significant changes in health care. The survey results show that the status quo isn’t working for most people,” observes Les Masterson, managing editor of Insure.com, a QuinStreet website.
Not surprising in today’s polarized political landscape, results differ by party. While Democrats and Independents showed similar results when it comes to options they support, more than one-third of Republicans are alone in calling for ACA repeal. Results by party:
Democrats
- 27% support Medicare for all (without private health insurance)
- 27% support Medicare for all (with private insurance)
- 25% favor a public option
Independents
- 28% favor a Medicare for all (without private health insurance)
- 23% prefer Medicare for all (with private health insurance)
- 27% support a public option
Republicans
- 35% support repealing the ACA
- 10% prefer Medicare for all (without private health insurance)
- 13% favor Medicare for all (with private health insurance)
- 31% support a public option
Interestingly, Insure.com’s polling shows that Republicans prefer former Vice President Joe Biden’s public option more than either Democrats or Independents do. That’s a change from when a public option was considered too extreme during former President Barack Obama’s initial efforts to pass the ACA.
Overall, the findings linking Democrats and Independents on healthcare this election season can be backed up by poll analysis of swing voters by Kaiser Family Foundation and the Cook Political Report. They found that Democrats may have great influence on independent voters, with nearly half (44%) preferring Democratic-backed plans for increasing access to health insurance coverage.
Health care remains a key issue in the 2020 presidential race for a large majority of those polled in the Insure.com survey. Out of a scale of 5, 85% of Democrats rated health care a 4 or 5 in terms of importance, with Republicans not far behind with 75% ranking it a 4 or 5. Independents are slightly less concerned, with 68% putting it up as a 4 or 5 on the scale.
Per Op4G, 35% of those polled were self-identified Democrats, 35% self-identified as Republicans and 27% as Independents. A small percentage (3%) declined to report their party affiliation.
To read an overview of the survey and its methodology, please visit Insure.com: https://www.insure.com/health-insurance/2020-health-insurance-election-survey
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