Poll Shows Conservative Health Care Agenda Unpopular Even With Republicans

Donald Trump said, “Planning ConceptDespite passing a bill to replace Obamacare two weeks ago, Republicans running for office have largely avoided the issue of health insurance.

a New poll That’s because the reforms they would accept would, in most cases, be incredibly unpopular, even among those who identify as Republicans.

According to a survey conducted by a research company, Data for progress The survey, released early Tuesday and shared with HuffPost ahead of publication, asked respondents what they thought about eight bills recently championed by conservatives.

Each idea is legislation What the Republican Party has been promoting for the past few years Received support In a document like this: Project 2025Led by the Heritage Foundation, the plan is something influential conservatives hope will serve as a blueprint for Trump’s next term in office.

The response to each idea Data for Progress tested was negative — and in most cases, overwhelmingly negative.

Topping the list was “Allowing insurance companies to deny coverage or charge you more if you have a pre-existing condition.” The survey found that 77% of Americans oppose the idea, with only 15% supporting it.

Republicans have avoided talking about the idea since 2017, when they proposed allowing the practice to be reinstated as part of efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

However, in the recent budget proposal, Republican Study CommitteeThe New Jersey Legislature, a group representing conservative Republican lawmakers, has also embraced a version of the idea, and last week, Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance spoke about allowing insurers to classify beneficiaries based on their level of medical risk.

Conservatives have backed plans to weaken or repeal rules protecting people with pre-existing conditions, including through multiple Commentator and Analyst Have attention.

Another item Data for Progress surveyed was “blocking Medicare’s ability to negotiate lower drug prices.” This idea was also highly unpopular, with 73% opposed and 19% in support.

And that feels very relevant to this campaign.

The power to negotiate drug prices in Medicare is something the federal government gained in the Anti-Inflation Act of 2022 and only began using this year. Republicans have repeatedly said they want to repeal the law that was passed by Democrats and signed by President Joe Biden.

Republicans have generally avoided saying whether they intend to include the new drug negotiating power as part of any deregulation plan, but a few lawmakers expressed interest in it in interviews last week. AxiosBoth Project 2025 and the Republican Study Committee proposals also talk about repealing or at least curtailing the government’s new powers to lower drug prices.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about these findings is that they transcend party and ideology: Opposition to both pre-existing condition protections and drug negotiating powers is nearly as high among Republicans as it is among the public as a whole.

There were some health care issues where the poll was less skewed, such as whether to impose “stricter work requirements for Medicaid recipients,” but even on that idea, 48% of the public polled opposed it, while only 39% supported it.

The poll, conducted by Data for Progress and surveying 1,283 voters, weighted the results to adjust for age, gender, race, region and respondents’ recollections of their voting history. Questions were fielded on September 12 and 13, and the results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Data for Progress is a left-leaning company, but its results are generally Survey results From polling organizations such as KFF, a nonpartisan research organization that has become the gold standard for health care polling.

One thing the Data for Progress poll didn’t examine is whether opposition to Republican health care policies would actually translate into support for Democrats in November. Daniel DazerothJohn McClellan, executive director of Data for Progress, told HuffPost there’s every reason to think health care would help Democrats if they spoke out on the issue.

“These are some of the most directly impactful policies the administration can propose,” Deisseroth said, adding, “We also know that Democrats are more trusted by voters to handle health care issues, so this is an area where they have an advantage.”

As always, poll results do not speak to the merits of the policy proposals tested or the debate surrounding them.

Conservatives argue that regulating insurance and drug markets distorts free markets, creates shortages, stifles innovation, and ultimately makes society worse. Liberals typically counter that free markets in health care don’t work and that interventions like those passed by Democrats can promote access to and quality of care.

There is no right or wrong in these arguments, it is a matter of judgement and priorities. The state of public opinion on health care is an entirely different story, and one that is crystal clear, as this latest poll shows.