Centrist poll: ‘Medicare for All’ underwater in key battleground states

A new poll from a centrist Democratic think tank of three battleground states shows “Medicare for All” is far less popular than a plan to build off the Affordable Care Act.

The polling from Third Way, conducted in the “blue wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, shows a sharp divide between those who support Medicare for All and those who don’t. 

According to the poll, Medicare for All is just as unpopular in Michigan and Pennsylvania as President Trump’s plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare. Only 41 percent of respondents in Michigan and 40 percent of respondents in Pennsylvania said they supported the policy.

In Wisconsin, 47 percent of respondents supported Medicare for All.

Medicare for All is a rallying cry among progressives and is championed by presidential candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). 

The poll did not ask whether the voters would support a public option, which is the plan supported by former Vice President Joe Biden.

Third Way polled 888 voters in Michigan, 1,625 in Pennsylvania and 993 in Wisconsin.

The poll echoes results from a joint Cook Political Report–Kaiser Family Foundation poll in November, which found a majority of Democratic voters support Medicare for All but that swing voters said it was a bad idea. 

The Third Way poll also found that voters think Medicare for All will raise middle-class taxes.  

Supporters of the progressive health care proposal argue that middle-class Americans will end up saving money because the elimination of premiums and deductibles will more than cancel out the increased taxes they would have to pay.