Poll: Americans Like Medicaid as Is

• By Laurie Watanabe
• Jun 14, 2011

A new May 2011 poll by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation suggests most Americans understand the basic goal of the Medicaid program and believe that preserving Medicaid is important.

Of survey participants, 56 percent correctly identified Medicaid as a government program that "is the primary source of health insurance for many low-income families regardless of their age" (versus 65 percent who correctly identified Medicare as being the program for people older than age 65, regardless of income).

Half of respondents said they (20 percent) or a friend or family member (31 percent) had personally benefited from Medicaid assistance. Respondents also want to preserve Medicaid as is: 60 percent say they prefer the current operating model, with "the federal government guaranteeing coverage and setting minimum standards for benefits and eligibility."

Some 35 percent of respondents said they would prefer changing Medicaid "so that the federal government gives states a fixed amount of money, and each state decides who to cover and what services to pay for."

Download a pdf of the poll here by using search words "Medicaid poll." The poll is called "Kaiser Health Tracking Poll – May 2011."