Voters Support Congress Increasing Funding for Healthcare Coverage and Agree With Messaging in Support of Healthcare for All
By Anika Dandekar, Evangel Penumaka, and Tenneth Fairclough II
Introduction
In recent months, there have been intense debates in several states around expansions of healthcare, with many Republican state legislatures blocking efforts to expand healthcare coverage, and Democratic candidates running on platforms to expand healthcare for all. A new poll of 1,492 likely voters in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Missouri, Maine, North Carolina, Colorado, Iowa, and Michigan conducted by Data for Progress and People’s Action examined support for publicly funded healthcare, as well as how voters respond to key arguments in this debate.
We find strong support among voters for publicly funded healthcare coverage, even when shown opposition messages. We also find that voters agree with the following frames when discussing publicly funded healthcare coverage: that funding should be increased, with people contributing to public programs when they’re able and leaning on their communities when they need care; that funding should increase to maintain a healthy community; that healthcare coverage is a human right; and, more specifically, that it is a human right being thwarted by the interests of big insurance and pharmaceutical corporations. In contrast, voters do not respond to common opposition messaging on the issue, including arguments that hardworking taxpayers should not cover the healthcare bills of others, such as undocumented immigrants, and that the government should not be involved in private citizens’ lives.
Voters Support More Public Funding Toward Healthcare
First, we examined voter support toward increasing funding for healthcare. We first asked voters if they would support or oppose a proposal to increase public funding for healthcare so that everyone would have coverage. We find that voters support this proposal by a +43-point margin of voters (69 percent support, 26 percent oppose). We find overwhelming support from Democrats, with 93 percent in favor. Independents also support the proposal, by a +43-point margin (68 percent support, 25 percent oppose). Republicans, in contrast, are split on the issue, with 48 percent both supporting and opposing it.
Next, we told voters about the same proposal, but this time, we included statements from supporters and opponents of the proposal. We find that likely voters continue to support the proposal by a +24-point margin (59 percent support, 35 percent oppose) after seeing opposition arguments that healthcare would become more inefficient, wait times would increase, and the quality of healthcare would suffer. We find that support stays strong among Democrats: 89 percent of Democrats support the proposal. A majority of Independents also support it after seeing messaging, by a +20-point margin (55 percent support, 35 percent oppose). In contrast, Republican support dips after seeing opposition arguments, to a -26-point margin (34 percent support, 60 percent oppose).
Message Testing on Publicly Funded Healthcare
We tested a variety of messages regarding publicly funded healthcare. Every progressive message performs better with voters than the conservative message it’s tested against.
Asked whether they think publicly funded healthcare positively impacts Americans, vulnerable groups in particular, or if they think it negatively impacts taxpayers, a majority (55 percent) of voters respond that they believe public healthcare has a positive impact. Majorities of Democrats (85 percent) and Independents (53 percent) say public healthcare has a positive impact on Americans. Nearly a third of Republicans (29 percent) agree that public healthcare has a positive impact.
Next, we tested which progressive messages work best against a conservative one. We first shared with half the voters in our sample a supportive message that calls for an increase in public funding for healthcare in which people should contribute to these programs when they are able to or lean on their communities to care for them in sickness or old age. The other half were shown a progressive message on the need to support public funding for healthcare, because in a healthy community, people should care for one another and ensure that everyone has access to good healthcare. All voters were shown the following opposition messaging: that hardworking taxpayers should not cover the burden of healthcare bills for anyone who does not want to take responsibility for themselves or their families, including undocumented immigrants. We find a majority of likely voters agree with both supportive messages over the opposition one — 56 percent on the generational-reciprocity frame and 55 percent on the care-for-all frame. We also find 82 percent of Democrats, 54 percent of Independents, and over 30 percent of Republicans agree with both supportive messages.
We then tested a supportive messaging framing around healthcare as a human right and that every American deserves coverage to half of voters, while the second half of voters saw a supportive message regarding freedom from corporate abuse. Both halves were also shown the same conservative argument regarding freedom from unnecessary government intervention. We find a majority of voters agree with both supportive statements: 57 percent on the human-rights frame, and 56 percent on the corporate-abuse frame. Both frames are effective among Democrats and Independents. We find over three-quarters of Democrats believe both supportive statements. A majority of Independents (58 percent) agree with the message regarding human rights, and a plurality of Independents (50 percent) agree with the corporate-abuse message as well. Nearly a third of Republicans agree with each support message.
Conclusion
Our poll finds overwhelming support for publicly funded healthcare across several swing states, and that support still holds strong when opposition messaging against the proposal is introduced. We also find several supportive messages that can persuade likely voters to support publicly funded healthcare. One of those messages is framing around healthcare as a human right and that all Americans should be able to access healthcare coverage without being blunted by the interests of corporations. Another is calling for publicly funded healthcare to benefit overall community health, and that community members should be looking out for one another. Candidates running for office should advocate for policies that expand public healthcare programs and rein in corporate profiteering in healthcare — both of which voters support.
Anika Dandekar (@anikadandekar) is a polling analyst at Data for Progress.
Evangel Penumaka (@evangelpenumaka) is a lead analyst at Data for Progress.
Tenneth Fairclough II (@tenten_wins) is a polling analyst at Data for Progress.