“Every Republican should be worried,” said Leslie Dach
Washington, DC – A new poll from Navigator Research is the latest showing that health care costs remain a top concern for voters and that the gap in perceptions of the two parties’ health care position is widening. Said Leslie Dach, chair of Protect Our Care, in response:
“The more people hear about Republican’s unrelenting war on our health care, the steeper their deficit with voters on this issue becomes. Every Republican who voted for health care repeal or stood by while the Trump administration and its allies have taken a sledgehammer to our health care should be worried. These Republicans have one thing in common: they have taken away Americans’ health care — and they’ll have to answer for this.”
Among the Navigator Research Findings:
“Health care remains a major issue continuing to drive conversation in Washington and around the country. What’s also clear is Democrats’ lead on the issue of health care has only grown.”
- Navigator has tracked which party in Congress is more trusted to handle health care since June, and Democrats’ lead just reached a new high of 15 points.
- Democrats in Congress now lead by 22 points among political independents (42% to 20%). Democrats also hold an 18 point advantage on health care when the sides are framed as “Democrats in Congress” versus “Donald Trump.”
- By 46% to 32%, Americans prefer Democrats in Congress over Republicans in Congress to handle “keeping down health care costs,” up from a lead of just five points (39% to 34%) in June
- Democrats lead by 26 points overall on protecting health care coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, including a 21-point lead among independents, a 33-point lead among college-educated whites and even a 9-point lead among whites without a college degree.
The Navigator Research Poll is the Latest Evidence that Health Care Will be a Major Liability for Republicans:
- Morning Consult/POLITICO Poll Finds Voters Trust Democrats over Republicans on Pre-existing Conditions Protections. Eighty-one percent of voters say it should not be legal for insurance companies to deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, and 71 percent say it should not be legal for insurance companies to charge more for people with pre-existing conditions and on the question of pre-existing conditions, voters trust Democrats in Congress over Republicans in Congress by 22 points (42-20), including by 17 points among voters aged 65 and older (41-24). (September 2018)
- Fox News Poll Finds Majority Of Americans Hold Favorable Opinion Of Affordable Care Act. The poll found that 51 percent of voters held favorable views the Affordable Care Act, compared to only 40 percent who held favorable views of the Republican tax bill. (August 2018)
- NBC News/ Wall Street Journal Survey Finds Democrats Have 18 Point Advantage In Dealing With Health Care. The survey found that 45 percent of voters polled think democrats would do a better job dealing with health care, compared to only 27 percent of voters who say Republicans would do a better job. (August 2018)
- Kaiser Tracking Poll Finds Almost Six In Ten Americans Say They Think President Trump And His Administration Are Trying To Make The ACA Fail, Most Say This Is A Bad Thing. “Almost six in ten (56 percent) Americans say they think President Trump and his administration are trying to make the ACA fail while one-third (32 percent) say they are trying to make the law work. Most of those who say they think the Trump administration is trying to make the law fail think this is a “bad thing” (47 percent of the public). In addition, most (58 percent) say since President Trump and Republicans in Congress have made changes to the ACA, they are responsible for any problems with it moving forward.” [Kaiser Family Foundation (July 2018)
- Kaiser Tracking Poll Finds A Candidates’ Continued Support For Protections For People With Pre-Existing Conditions Is The Single Most Important Health Position For Voters. Fourteen percent of voters said cited protections for people with pre-existing conditions as the most important factor. Sixty-six percent of voters said it was very important, if not the most important, health care issue to them. (June 2018)