Recently Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders debated the idea of 'Medicare-for-all,' which involves creating a national health plan in which all Americans would get their insurance through an expanded version of the Medicare program. A large majority of Democrats (81%) support the idea of Medicare-for-all, as do most independents (60%), while most Republicans (63%) oppose the idea. The poll did not ask about details or tradeoffs.
At the same time, few Democrats say the issue will be the driving force behind their vote: just 5 percent of Democrats say that it will be the single most important factor in their presidential vote. A third of Democrats (34%) say it will be very important, but not the most important factor, while others say it will be one of many factors they will consider (36%) or that it won’t matter at all (5%). Future polls may explore the issue in greater depth.
As the US Senate voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) earlier this month, more of the public views the health care law unfavorably (46%) than favorably (40%), statistically unchanged from last month when a gap reopened between unfavorable and favorable views. The public also remains divided over what Congress should do next with the law, with just over a third (35%) supporting repeal and others favoring scaling back the law (14%), implementing it as is (18%) or expanding what the law does (22%).
Half (51%) of the public says they have not been personally impacted by the law, though more say they have been hurt by the law than say they have been helped (29% and 17% respectively). These perceptions continue to vary starkly by party identification.
The poll was designed and analyzed by public opinion researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation and was conducted from Dec. 1 to 7, 2015 among a nationally representative random digit dial telephone sample of 1,202. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish by landline (480) and cell phone (722). The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for the full sample. For results based on subgroups, the margin of sampling error may be higher.
How long after I enroll in a plan will coverage take effect?
In most states if you enroll in a private health insurance plan any time between November 1, 2015 and December 17, 2015 and make your first premium payment by the due date specified by your plan, your new health coverage starts January 1, 2016.
After that, if you enroll between the 1st and 15th day of the month and pay your premium by the due date, your coverage begins the first day of the next month. So if you enroll on January 10, 2016, your coverage begins February 1, 2016.
If you enroll between the 16th and the last day of the month and pay your premium by the due date, your effective date of coverage will be the first day of the second following month. So if you enroll on January 16, 2016, your coverage starts on March 1, 2016.
View this question in Spanish.
Pages: 1 · 2
More Articles
- The Alabama Supreme Court’s Decision on Embryonic Personhood; KFF Health News’ Weekly Health Policy News Podcast, “What the Health?”
- Women’s Congressional Policy Institute: The House Will Consider H.R. 3226, the Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers Who Deliver Infants Early (PREEMIE) Reauthorization Act of 2023
- Selective Exposure and Partisan Echo Chambers in Television News Consumption: Innovative Use of Data Yields Unprecedented Insights
- GAO Report On Air Travel and Communicable Diseases: Federal Leadership Needed to Advance Research
- Jo Freeman Reviews MADAM SPEAKER, Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons Of Power: “An iron fist in a Gucci glove”
- New Documents Show Trump Repeatedly Pressed DOJ to Overturn Election Results Before Inciting Capitol Attack
- What Do You Know About the Problem Solvers Caucus in the House of Representatives? They Unveiled New Bipartisan Solutions to Rebuild America’s Infrastructure, Among Other Concerns
- Jo Freeman: The Georgia Peach Is Purple
- Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act; Chair Jerome H. Powell Before the Committee on Financial Services, House of Representatives
- IGS* Poll: The Troubling Political Dimension of the Coronavirus in California