(Photo: Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Bloomberg)
While the Biden administration faces several health-related challenges — including the coronavirus pandemic and vaccine distribution — a new survey indicates Americans hope Medicare for All also will emerge as a top priority.
MedicareAdvantagePlans.org recently conducted an online survey of 1,000 adults asking them if they would rather see President Joe Biden establish a Medicare for All system or take action on other high-profile proposed policy changes. A Medicare for All system would establish a government-run, single-payer health care program that would cover all Americans and be modeled on Medicare — the federal health insurance program for people 65 and older.
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When asked about their preferences on the following initiatives, here's how Americans responded:
Medicare for All vs. student loan forgiveness
More than half (51%) of Americans prefer a Medicare for All system, while 32% favor student loan forgiveness. The rest were unsure or did not respond. Not surprisingly, loan forgiveness was more popular among 25- to 34-year-olds, but 32% of all respondents with a two-year or four-year college degree — and 31% with a post-graduate degree — chose Medicare for All.
Medicare for All vs. free college
58% of Americans favor a Medicare-for-All system, compared to 20% that would like to see a free public college system enacted. The rest were unsure or did not respond. Again, as expected, more young adults between ages 18 and 34 opted for free education. But respondents 35-44 years old preferred Medicare for All.
Medicare for All vs. legalized marijuana
One in four Americans would rather have legalized marijuana than Medicare for All at the federal level — despite all but six states (Alabama, Idaho, Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Wyoming) having legalized or decriminalized marijuana for medical or recreational use. Perhaps surprisingly, more older adults and retirees expressed a preference for legalized marijuana over Medicare for All.
Medicare for All vs. a new national holiday
When asked if they would rather Biden establish a Medicare for All system or designate the Monday after the Super Bowl a national holiday, 14% of respondents chose the holiday. Almost three quarters opted for Medicare for All, while the rest were unsure or did not respond.
While MedicareForAll.org officials did not offer insight into the reasons why survey participants responded the way they did, the results do provide a window into how some Americans view potential major policy shifts under the Biden administration.
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