Among the other key findings:

Both Medicare and Medicaid continue to be viewed favorably by large majorities of the public, including majorities of Republicans, Democrats and independents. Although lawmakers are discussing changes to Medicaid and Medicare, including possible spending cuts, about half of the public believes the federal government isn’t spending enough on each of these programs. Half said the federal government doesn’t spend enough on Medicare, and 46% said the same about the Medicaid program. Across both programs, the share of the public who said the government isn’t spending enough is more than twice the number who said the government is spending too much.
A bipartisan consensus exists for some health policy priorities for the new presidential administration and Congress, especially around oversight and regulation. Majorities of the public -- including about half or more across partisan lines-- said boosting health care price transparency rules (61%), setting stricter limits on chemicals found in the food supply (58%) and more closely regulating the process used by health insurance companies when they approve or deny services or prescription drugs (55%) should be a top priority for the incoming administration and Congress.
Expanding the number of prescription drugs for which the federal government negotiates the Medicare price also ranks as a top priority by a majority of the public, including two-thirds of Democrats, 54% of independents, 48% of Republicans and three-fourths of people who currently are enrolled in Medicare.
Although the public largely is in line with some of the administration’s potential health- care priorities, other possible policy actions are seen as lower priorities, and in some cases, larger shares of the public said they should not be done. The public is divided on whether the administration should prioritize recommending against fluoride in local water supplies. The same share said it should be a top priority (23%) as said it should not be done.

Fewer than one in eight adults (including fewer than a quarter of Republicans) said reducing federal funding to schools that require vaccinations (15%), limiting abortion access (14%) or reducing federal spending on Medicaid (13%) should be a top priority, while at least 4 in 10 said each of these should not be done.
Nearly two-thirds of adults hold a favorable view of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, but views on the future of the law still are largely partisan. Four in 10 Republicans said repealing the legislation should be a top priority, while half of Democrats said extending the enhanced subsidies for people who buy their own coverage should be a top priority. Most of the public is worried about the level of benefits for people who buy their own coverage through the ACA marketplaces, including nearly 9 in 10 Democrats, 79% of independents and nearly half of Republicans.
Overall, about three-fourths of the public believes reducing fraud and waste in government health programs could lead to reductions in overall federal spending, which is the goal of Trump’s newly formed government efficiency program, but many also believe it will result in a reduction of benefits. More than half of the public said reducing fraud and waste could lead to reductions in the benefits people receive from the Medicaid and Medicare programs.

Instant Insights /

Public divided on Trump health agenda, strong support for price transparency

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