Fifty-one percent of Americans support a single-payer health-care plan, according to a new Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation poll.
These findings come amid efforts by the Trump administration to dismantle the Affordable Care Act by giving more authority to states to regulate health insurance with private companies.
(Chart: Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation Poll)
The single-payer health-care plan is most popular among Democrats, with 74 percent supporting the plan; however, only 16 percent of Republicans support a single government program for health care, according to the poll.
According to a post from the Harvard Medical School, a single-payer health-care system “takes responsibility for financing healthcare for all residents.” This means that, under the single-payer plan, everyone in the United States would have access to necessary services, but individuals may choose where they receive care.
Proponents for the single-payer plan advocate that it would be a large step toward a more equal health-care system. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) incorporated a Medicare-for-All approach as a pillar of his 2016 campaign leading to the Democratic primary elections. Sanders’ plan to fund the program through higher taxes was largely unpopular with more fiscally conservative voters.
Those who oppose a single-payer health-care plan cite unnecessary government oversight on physicians, as well as longer waiting times for medical services.
