Most Americans believe health care coverage for everyone is government's responsibility, poll finds
FILE-A doctor gives a patient a flu shot inside a hospital. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
A recent poll shows that 62% of Americans say it’s the federal government’s responsibility to make sure everyone has health care coverage.
Gallup gathered its results for the poll from telephone interviews conducted Nov. 6-20, with a sample of 1,001 adults 18 years and older living in the U.S. and Washington, D.C.
Results of the survey are from Gallup’s annual Health and Healthcare survey.
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The poll found that between 2000 and 2008, a majority of Americans believed that the government should make sure all people in the nation have health care coverage.
Among political parties, 32% of Republicans believe the government has a responsibility to make sure all Americans have health care coverage, while 90% of Democrats say the government should ensure everyone has health care coverage. Additionally, 65% of independents say the government is responsible for making sure everyone has health coverage.
According to Gallup, Democrats and Republicans have opposing stances on the best ways to provide health care, with 71% of Democrats supporting a government-run health care system and 20% favoring a private system.
But 76% of Republicans endorse private insurance and 21% favor a government-run system. Meanwhile, 47% of independents want a government system, and 49% prefer a private one.
Separately, Gallup noted that the country's views changed during President Barack Obama’s time in office as he worked to enhance health care coverage in the country with the Affordable Health Care Act.
Approximately, 54% of Americans approve of the Affordable Care Act. But support has hovered around 50% or more since Obama left office in 2017, but the health care law was less popular during his tenure, ranging from 37% to 48% approval, the poll shows.
Moreover, approximately 94% of Democrats and 19% of Republicans approve of the health care law compared to 53% of independents who support the law.
With President-elect Donald Trump set to take office in January, Gallup noted that support for the Affordable Care Act is higher today than it was during Trump’s first term in office.
Trump and Republicans attempted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and he even discussed replacing it during this year’s presidential campaign, but the poll noted that it may be a tough task for him to change the law.