Health

Republican Voters Support Medicaid but Want Work Requirements, Poll Finds

Published

12 months ago

March 9, 2025

Republican Voters Support Medicaid but Want Work Requirements, Poll Finds

As Congressional Republicans weigh major cuts to Medicaid, most voters do not want to see the public health plan’s funding dialed back, according to a poll released Friday by KFF, a nonpartisan health research firm.

Just 17 percent of respondents said they supported cuts to Medicaid, the government health insurance program that covers more than 70 million people. Forty percent said they wanted to keep spending unchanged, and 42 percent said they would like it increased.

But at the same time, the poll found significant support for certain policies that would limit the program, such as requiring enrollees to work. More than 60 percent of voters — and 47 percent of Democrats — supported a work requirement, the poll found.

That change, which has been championed by some congressional Republicans, is estimated to cut about $100 billion from Medicaid, as those who were unemployed — or could not file the paperwork showing they had a job — would no longer be covered. The program’s cost was $584 billion in 2024, or about 8 percent of total federal spending.

The poll also illustrated Medicaid’s wide reach, with just over half of respondents saying that either they or a family member had at one point had Medicaid coverage. There was nearly universal agreement that Medicaid mattered to voters’ local communities, with 98 percent of Democrats and 94 percent of Republicans saying they thought it was somewhat or very important.

Republicans in Congress are considering several changes to Medicaid as they look for ways to pay for President Trump’s tax cuts. Last month, the House passed a budget that, if approved by the Senate and signed by the president, could trim as much as $880 billion from the program over the next decade. That could happen with work requirements, caps on federal spending for the program, or reducing the share of costs the federal government pays.

Although poll respondents were generally in favor of work requirements, they held misconceptions about the policy: Sixty-two percent of voters thought that most Medicaid enrollees are unemployed, when in fact a vast majority have jobs.

Republican voters also expressed an openness to cutting funding for the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion. Right now, the federal government pays 90 percent of the costs for participants in the expansion, who tend to be healthy adults. That is a higher share than what it covers for other enrollees, such as children or disabled people.

Sixty-four percent of Republican voters — and 40 percent of voters overall — said they would support reducing the federal government’s contribution to Medicaid expansion. House Republicans continue to weigh this option, even though Speaker Mike Johnson said last week it was not on the table.

Voters’ opinions on reducing Medicaid expansion funding seemed malleable, however, in the face of additional information.

When respondents were given more information about the policy, including the fact that millions could lose coverage, Republican support fell to 43 percent. But being told that the change would cut federal spending by about $600 billion increased support to 73 percent.

The polling looks similar to what Americans felt during the Affordable Care Act repeal debate in 2017, when Republicans failed to roll back the law in large part because of political opposition to Medicaid cuts. Back then, 70 percent of voters supported work requirements and 36 percent favored cutting Medicaid expansion funding.

“Medicaid is a very popular program among a wide swath of the public including Republicans,” said Mollyann Brodie, KFF’s executive director of survey research.

But, she added, “opinions could be quickly moved in the context of debate where people learn more information and feel their coverage is threatened.”

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Health

The Best Time To Drink Coffee for Weight Loss and a Faster Metabolism

Published

4 hours ago

February 27, 2026

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The Best Time To Drink Coffee for Weight Loss and a Faster Metabolism

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Health

‘SuperAgers’ stay mentally sharp well past 80, as scientists reveal the reason

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4 hours ago

February 27, 2026

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‘SuperAgers’ stay mentally sharp well past 80, as scientists reveal the reason

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Stat of the week

More than 59% of women may have high blood pressure by 2050, according to a new report from the American Heart Association.

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This article was written by Fox News staff.

Health

Heart disease threat projected to climb sharply for key demographic

Published

17 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Heart disease threat projected to climb sharply for key demographic

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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.

The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.

More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.

The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.

As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.

The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)

Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.

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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”

“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.

NEARLY 90% OF AMERICANS AT RISK OF SILENT DISEASE — HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW

“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)

Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”

The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.

The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.

DOCTOR SHARES 3 SIMPLE CHANGES TO STAY HEALTHY AND INDEPENDENT AS YOU AGE

“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”

Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.

Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)

Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.

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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.

The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.

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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”

“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”

“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)

“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”

The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.

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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.

“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”

Angelica Stabile is a lifestyle reporter for Fox News Digital.