Story perspectives

Two-Thirds Support Medicare for All in KFF Poll

By Drooid · Oct 8, 2026, 7:27 PM UTC · How we work

Center

Coverage Change Sensitivity

KFF health-policy poll released September 2026 found two-thirds of U.S. adults favor a government-paid universal health-insurance system, often called Medicare for All.
Support drops to 52 % when respondents learn the plan would eliminate private insurance, showing sensitivity to coverage-change concerns.
84 % of Democrats and 72 % of independents favor plan, while 66 % of Republicans oppose it.
Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and candidate Abdul El-Sayed champion Medicare for All.

Left

Greedy System Accusation

A KFF poll released in September 2026 found 66 % of U.S. adults favor a government-paid health-insurance system called Medicare for All.
Findings show growing public frustration with a costly, profit-driven health system and progressive leaders and nurses rallying for universal coverage.
Senator Bernie Sanders called the health system greedy and urged immediate Medicare for All passage.
Representative Ilhan Omar said Medicare for All could save 114,000 lives and $1 trillion each year.

History

Historical Context

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Social Security Amendments creating Medicare and Medicaid, extending federal health coverage to seniors and low-income Americans. The program initially covered 19 million seniors and cost $400 billion in its first decade, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Today's KFF polls showing 66 % support echo the 1965 momentum, as Senators Bernie Sanders and Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar champion a single-payer expansion. If Congress replicates the 1965 bipartisan coalition, the proposed Medicare for All could reshape U.S. healthcare, potentially saving billions and reducing mortality.

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Coverage Change Sensitivity

KFF health-policy poll released September 2026 found two-thirds of U.S. adults favor a government-paid universal health-insurance system, often called Medicare for All.
Support drops to 52 % when respondents learn the plan would eliminate private insurance, showing sensitivity to coverage-change concerns.
84 % of Democrats and 72 % of independents favor plan, while 66 % of Republicans oppose it.
Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and candidate Abdul El-Sayed champion Medicare for All.

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