New Poll Shows Nearly Half of Americans and 2/3 of Democrats Back Single Payer

As Senate Republicans launch a last-ditch attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Democrats flock to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All bill, new polling reveals nearly half of the country wants a national single-payer healthcare plan.

While 49 percent of voters surveyed by Politico/Morning Consult said they supported “a single-payer healthcare system, where all Americans would get their health insurance from one government plan,” only 35 percent opposed it and 17 percent had no opinion.

A government-run plan is even more popular among Democrats, with two-thirds supporting a single-payer system.

The poll also found that healthcare is an influential topic when Americans consider casting votes for representatives in Congress. Among those polled, 58 percent said passing healthcare reform should be “a top priority” for Congress, and healthcare was the second-most popular topic when respondents were asked which issues were on their minds when heading to the ballot box for federal elections.

This new data comes just a week after Sanders, supported by 16 Senate Democrats, introduced a bill that would guarantee healthcare for all Americans by expanding the Medicare program to every U.S. resident.