Medicare for All support soars to 66 percent in 6 years: KFF poll

Support for Medicare for All jumped to 66 percent among U.S. adults in 2026, highest since 2016, according to polling results published Tuesday.

Health research group KFF found that 32 percent of those surveyed strongly favored “having a national health plan … in which all Americans would get their insurance from a single government plan,” a stance commonly referred to as Medicare for All. It also found support for the policy was up by around 13-points from when the question was last posed in 2020.

An additional 34 percent somewhat supported the plan, while 15 percent somewhat opposed it and 19 percent strongly opposed.

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KKF noted that respondents’ evaluation of the single-payer system was divided on party lines, with 84 percent of Democrats favoring the policy and 66 percent of Republicans opposing it. Among independents, Medicare for All’s approval reached 72 percent.

The group also found Americans’ opinions on national health plans sway based upon “any public debate in which the public hears arguments for and against such a plan.” For example, the percentage of respondents who opposed Medicare for All reached 76 percent when they heard it could cause potential delays in medical appointments or treatments.

Sixty-four percent opposed the plan if it caused tax hikes, while 61 percent said they would be against a national health program if it threatened the current Medicare system.

On the other hand, Medicare for All reached 76 percent when those polled heard that the policy may guarantee health insurance as a right for all Americans, and 52 percent backed such a program if it eliminates health insurance premiums.

The latter results mark a departure from October 2020, when the prospect of Medicare for All eliminating private insurance companies led to lower support for the plan — at 37 percent. Fifty-eight percent opposed the measure in the case that it made private health insurance obsolete.

Each of these claims shifted respondents’ opinions across the board, regardless of partisanship and age.

A group of progressive lawmakers attempted to solve rising healthcare concerns through the Medicare for All Act , introduced by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) in April 2025. It was co-sponsored by 117 House Democrats but was opposed by GOP lawmakers, who argued it was too radical.

However, as a national health plan gained support, health care affordability concerns remain a top issue among voters — who trust Democrats over Republicans on the issue by a nearly two-to-one margin, according to KKF.

About half of voters said it is “extremely important” for candidates in the midterm elections to talk about the cost of health care, the survey found.

The poll was conducted among 1,328 respondents between Sept. 16 – 21. Its margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.