With simply 5 weeks remaining till the election of the forty seventh U.S. president, greater than half of People say defending Medicare and decreasing well being care prices are among the many most essential points influencing their selections on the poll field, a brand new survey finds. What’s extra, two-thirds of respondents assume well being care isn’t receiving sufficient consideration within the 2024 marketing campaign.
Analytics agency Gallup and West Well being, a bunch of nonprofits centered on growing older and well being care, polled greater than 3,600 U.S. adults 18 and older on well being care points. The outcomes of the survey, given on Sept. 9–16, had been revealed on Sept. 30. Roughly 1,300 folks had been surveyed after the Sept. 10 debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, however the polling methodology signifies little variation in respondents’ attitudes earlier than and after the controversy.
Survey members reported candidates’ positions on the next well being care points had been the “single most important” or “among the most important” issue(s) in figuring out their vote for president on Nov. 5:
- Defending Medicare/Social Safety: 63%
- Decreasing the price of well being care: 57%
- Decreasing drug prices: 47%
- Insurance policies associated to psychological well being care entry: 43%
“Americans remain concerned over high health care prices and the future of Medicare and Social Security—even though other issues dominate during this election cycle,” Timothy Lash, president of the West Well being Coverage Heart, mentioned in a information launch in regards to the ballot. “This is especially true for older Americans, a significant voting bloc.”
Majority of Democrats, Republicans need to shield Medicare
What respondents thought of to be the only most essential problem and among the many most essential well being care points various by age and political occasion.
Maybe unsurprisingly, the significance of defending Medicare and Social Safety elevated with age, with the overwhelming majority of individuals 65 and older (84%) marking it a high problem, adopted by practically three-fourths (73%) of these aged 50 to 64 and half (50%) of these underneath 50. Although the difficulty was most essential to Democrats (73%), it additionally mattered to majorities of Republicans (58%) and independents (61%).
Folks 65 and older had been almost definitely to rank the opposite three problems with high significance, too. They got here closest to a different age group in insurance policies associated to psychological well being care entry, with the oldest adults (44%) simply outpacing these underneath 50 (43%).
Democrats had essentially the most illustration in every of the 4 points, the best being decreasing the price of well being care (75%). Except for defending Medicare and Social Safety, Republicans didn’t attain a majority in any class, the bottom being insurance policies associated to psychological well being care entry (30%). Unbiased voters hovered between Republicans and Democrats on every problem.
Well being care not getting sufficient election protection—particularly to Dems
With so many insurance policies—from inexpensive housing to training and immigration—on the forefront of the struggle between Trump and Harris, most People (67%) don’t assume well being care has been getting “enough attention.”
The sample holds true for all events:
- Democrats: 78%
- Independents: 67%
- Republicans: 53%
Republicans, although, had been almost definitely to say well being care was getting “the right amount of attention” (35%) or “too much attention” (12%).
“Americans across all political stripes want to know where candidates stand on these critical issues and do not think they’ve heard enough yet,” Lash mentioned. “It will be interesting to see how the candidates and political parties address this.”
Republicans, independents extra pessimistic about well being care affordability
Simply as Democrats had been almost definitely to say decreasing the price of well being care is a high problem, they had been additionally almost definitely to say entry to inexpensive well being care will enhance inside 5 years. Greater than half (58%) mentioned enchancment was “very” or “somewhat” probably.
A few third of independents (36%) confirmed the identical optimism, as did a good smaller proportion of Republicans (31%). Total, greater than half of respondents (59%) mentioned enchancment was “not very likely” or “not likely at all.”
A 3rd of voters don’t belief Trump or Harris on well being care
As you would possibly count on, Republicans had been most trusting of Trump on the well being care points polled, whereas Democrats had been most trusting of Harris and independents had been someplace in between—although Dems’ belief in Harris outweighed Republicans’ in Trump on every problem.
Whereas independents favored Harris, notably in the case of defending or strengthening Medicare, a couple of third don’t belief both candidate. Independents confirmed essentially the most mistrust (37%) within the candidates’ skills to extend the standard of well being care.
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