Democratic presidential candidates who favor a “Medicare for All” health care system are garnering more support from voters, according to a Politico/Morning Consult poll released Wednesday.
The nationwide survey found that net support among Democratic voters climbed to 52 percent, from 35 percent in January.
{mosads}Three top-tier contenders — Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) — have proposed varying forms of Medicare for All.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, who leads the field of White House hopefuls in several national polls, has panned the single-payer proposals, suggesting instead the federal government should expand the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) to include a public option.
But the rise in support for candidates who back Medicare for All hasn’t been enough to knock Biden off his front-runner status in recent polling. The latest Morning Consult Tracking survey, released Monday, showed Biden with a 13 percentage point edge over his closest contender, Sanders, the author of a Medicare for All bill.
Among all voters, net support for a candidate who prefers Medicare for All over the ACA dropped to 13 percent in the August poll, compared with 35 percent in January.
Health care has emerged as one of the focal points of debate in the Democratic primary field, with moderates criticizing Medicare for All as too expensive and arguing it provides fodder to Republicans who seek to paint Democrats as socialists. Progressives contend that unaffordable health plans and rising prescription drug costs show that a change is needed.
The Morning Consult/Politico survey polled 1,987 registered voters, including 768 Democratic voters, from Aug. 23-25. The polls have a margin of error of 2 percentage points for all voters and 4 points for Democratic voters.