This morning’s Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll finds that health care remains a top issue among voters, including Independents, and that one in four are “health care voters,” whose votes will be determined by candidates’ health care positions. Among the key findings:
- 77% of those surveyed said health care was an important issue, with 30% of these voters listing health care costs as the reason why – just as premiums are rising due to GOP sabotage.
- Health care is also a top issue for battleground voters, those in areas with competitive House, Senate, or Governor’s races.
- 19 percent of Independents cited health care a top issue, second only to the economy at 22 percent.
- Kaiser considers one in four Americans “health care voters,” who “say a candidate’s position on health care will be the ‘most important factor’ in their decision.”
- Cutting Medicaid and Medicare remains deeply unpopular. As the poll found: “Few partisans – regardless of party identification – say they would be ‘more likely’ to vote for a candidate who wants to reduce government spending on health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.”
- The Affordable Care Act maintains a 6-point net-positive rating. As the poll’s author’s note, “This is similar to last month’s tracking poll and continues the nearly year-long trend of a larger share of the public holding favorable than unfavorable views.”
- People are more likely to support candidates who support the Affordable Care Act, and less likely to support candidates who favor repeal.
The Kaiser survey follows numerous recent polls that find health care remains the top issue heading into midterms, including a new CBS poll released Tuesday that finds health care is the most important issue in deciding votes this November.