A Kaiser Family Foundation survey found Republicans and Independents have a better understanding of Medicare-for-All than do Democrats. Only 24% of Democrats are aware “people who buy their own insurance would not be able to keep their current plans,” compared to 40% of Independents and 53% of Republicans. Just 25% of Democrats understand that “people with employer-sponsored insurance would not be able to keep their current plans,” compared to 42% of Independents and 47% of Republicans. Only 42% of Democrats know “doctors and hospitals would be paid less,” compared to 50% of Independents and 64% of Republicans. Democrats are not even aware of the supposed benefits promoted by candidates like Sen. Bernie Sanders with 25% of them knowing “people would not continue to pay deductibles and co-pays when they use health care services.”
It is unclear if a majority of the Democrats would be on board with the hard-left’s Medicare-for-All plan if they knew some of its harmful elements. Meanwhile, Republicans and Independents are more fully aware of the pitfalls: higher taxes, the elimination of private and employer-sponsored insurance, and inability to keep an existing insurance plan. Republicans must continue emphasizing these elements as Democratic candidates ramp up calls for single-payer health care, especially since Democrats are doing such a poor job promoting any of supposed benefits or mitigating any of its major shortcomings, even to their own party’s members.
