Because the incoming Trump administration and Republican-led Congress search for methods to chop federal spending, a brand new KFF Well being Monitoring Ballot exhibits that the Medicare and Medicaid applications stay fashionable total, with extra individuals preferring spending extra on these applications fairly than spending much less.

About eight-in-ten People are typically constructive about Medicare (82%) and Medicaid (77%). This contains majorities amongst partisans, together with most Republicans (75% view Medicare favorably and 63% view Medicaid favorably).

About half (46%) of the general public say the federal authorities doesn't spend sufficient on Medicaid, greater than double the share (19%) who say the federal government spends “an excessive amount of.” The hole is even wider for Medicare, with half (51%) of the general public saying the federal government doesn't spend sufficient, in comparison with 15% who say the federal government spends an excessive amount of.

The Reasonably priced Care Act (ACA), often known as Obamacare, additionally stays fashionable, with practically two-thirds (64%) of the general public having a positive opinion of it, though there are extra partisan divides. Most Democrats and independents have a positive opinion of the ACA, whereas about three-quarters of Republicans (72%) have an unfavorable opinion.

A big majority additionally say they’re “very” or “considerably” involved that folks lined by every of the three applications sooner or later won’t obtain the identical advantages as they do at present. This contains 81% who say that about Medicare, 72% who say that about Medicaid, and 70% who say that concerning the ACA marketplaces. Republicans are much less involved than different partisans about Medicaid and the ACA.

Forward of President Trump's inauguration, the ballot additionally assesses how the general public is prioritizing 11 potential well being actions the brand new administration and Congress may take.

About six-in-ten say boosting worth transparency guidelines (61%) and limiting chemical compounds within the meals provide (58%) are each a “prime precedence.” This contains the vast majority of Republicans, independents and Democrats.

Throughout his first administration, President Trump issued federal rules establishing worth transparency necessities for hospitals and insurers, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his decide to guide the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Companies, has lengthy advocated in opposition to chemical compounds in meals.

In distinction, few among the many public view a number of different well being insurance policies related to President Trump and his allies as prime priorities.

For instance, about one in seven say that lowering federal spending on Medicaid (13%) or limiting entry to abortion (14%) is a prime precedence, whereas a lot bigger shares say that both of these items “shouldn’t be accomplished ” (44% and 51% respectively). Different back-burner priorities embrace lowering funding for colleges that require college students to be vaccinated (15%), encouraging communities to not add fluoride to their water provides (23%), and repealing and changing of the ACA (27%).

Amongst different well being priorities:

• Medicare drug worth negotiations. Greater than half (55%) of the general public say it’s a prime precedence to increase the variety of prescribed drugs for which Medicare worth negotiations are underway, together with most Democrats (65%) and about half of Republicans (48 %). Solely 3% suppose this isn’t allowed.
• Regulating denials of insurance coverage claims. Most individuals (55%) say that extra carefully regulating insurers' selections to approve or deny claims for well being care companies or prescribed drugs must be a prime precedence. This contains most Democrats (61%) and independents (59%), together with practically half (45%) of Republicans. In whole, solely 5% are in opposition to this.
• Enhanced ACA subsidies. A couple of third (32%) say increasing the great monetary help that makes ACA medical insurance reasonably priced must be a prime precedence. This contains half of Democrats (50%), however few Republicans (16%). Solely 7% say this isn’t allowed.

The brand new Trump administration has created a brand new Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE), charged with creating plans to scale back federal spending and scale back rules.

Most People (73%) say lowering fraud and waste in authorities well being applications would result in “main” or “small” reductions in federal spending total. This contains most Republicans (80%), independents (72%), and Democrats (68%).

On the similar time, greater than half (55%) of the general public additionally say that lowering fraud and waste would scale back the advantages individuals obtain from authorities well being applications. At the least half of Republicans (60%), Democrats (55%) and independents (51%) maintain this view.

Different findings embrace:

• Many of the public says the federal government will not be spending sufficient cash on continual illness prevention (60%) or infectious illness prevention and preparation for future pandemics (54%). Many smaller shares say the federal government is spending “an excessive amount of” on every of those.
• Greater than half (57%) of the general public say they anticipate healthcare to turn into much less reasonably priced for his or her households within the coming years. This contains most (54%) Trump voters and half (51%) of Republicans, regardless of the marketing campaign's emphasis on tackling rising prices, together with in well being care.

Designed and analyzed by opinion researchers at KFF. The survey was performed on-line and by phone from January 7 to 14, 2025 amongst a nationally consultant pattern of 1,310 U.S. adults in English and Spanish. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 share factors for your complete pattern. For outcomes based mostly on different subgroups, the margin of sampling error could also be bigger.