Health
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
Pediatricians group stands up for kids’ rapidly shrinking recess time: ‘Very powerful benefit’
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Recess may look like downtime, but pediatricians say cutting it could cost kids far more than a few minutes on the playground.
The American Academy of Pediatrics released updated guidance for the first time in more than a decade that urges schools to protect recess, highlighting that the unstructured break delivers major benefits for kids’ health, learning and behavior.
“It has a very powerful benefit if it’s used to the fullest,” said Dr. Robert Murray, a lead author of the new guidance, which was published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
Researchers say recess helps students reset between lessons, improving focus and memory. It also gives kids time to build social skills, boost confidence and stay physically active, a key factor as 1 in 5 U.S. children and teens struggle with obesity.
THIS SIMPLE OUTDOOR ACTIVITY CAN IMPROVE AMERICANS’ HEALTH, SAYS GOVERNOR
Students play ball during recess at St. Agnes Elementary School in Phoenix, Ariz., on March 3, 2020. (Dario Lopez-Mills/AP)
Despite those benefits, recess time has been shrinking for years. Since the mid-2000s, up to 40% of school districts have reduced or eliminated it, according to data from the Springboard to Active Schools group and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The group is pushing schools to reverse that trend, recommending at least 20 minutes of daily recess and multiple breaks. It further warned against using it as punishment.
Whittier Elementary School students enjoy recess in Mesa, Ariz., on Oct. 18, 2022. (Matt York/AP)
“If the child is disruptive or rude and disrespectful, recess is one of the things that teachers use to punish kids,” Murray said, noting that those students often need it most.
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Doctors also stress that recess isn’t just for younger children. As screen time rises, older students need time to unplug, move and recharge.
Elementary school students play tag outside on the grass during recess. (iStock)
“As kids get older, they’re more on their screens,” said Dr. Lauren Fiechtner, a pediatric specialist. “So it’s really helpful, I think, for outdoor activity and recess to be happening. Recess is great. We all kind of need recess.”
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In other countries such as Denmark, Japan and the United Kingdom, students already get more frequent breaks, often after every 45 to 50 minutes of instruction. Experts say this model could help U.S. schools improve both learning and student well-being.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Health
Cruise ship linked to deadly Hantavirus outbreak arrives off Tenerife as passenger evacuation begins
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The cruise ship linked to a deadly Hantavirus outbreak arrived early Sunday off the Spanish island of Tenerife, where passengers began to evacuate and fly to their home countries.
Passengers are being tested by Spanish health authorities to ensure they are asymptomatic before being transported ashore in small boats, Spanish officials said, according to Reuters.
Spanish health authorities confirmed that the first plane carrying the Spanish passengers has departed for a military hospital in Madrid, where they will be under quarantine.
The 17 Americans aboard the MV Hondius will be flown to a medical center in Nebraska after health officials allow them to disembark.
AMERICANS TO BE EVACUATED FROM HANTAVIRUS CRUISE SHIP AS GLOBAL HEALTH CHIEF TRAVELS TO QUARANTINE ISLAND
The cruise ship MV Hondius arrives at the port of Granadilla de Abona after being affected by a Hantavirus outbreak, in Tenerife, Spain, May 10, 2026. (REUTERS/Hannah McKay)
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) official told ABC News on Saturday morning that federal officials currently do not plan to mandate quarantine when the American passengers arrive in Nebraska.
They will instead be screened upon arrival in the U.S. and either stay briefly at Nebraska’s National Quarantine Unit or return home to monitor for symptoms for 42 days while staying in contact with local health authorities, the official said.
The ship set course for Spain on Wednesday from the coast of Cape Verde after the WHO and European Union requested assistance in managing the outbreak.
The ship’s arrival comes hours after World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived on the island.
The WHO said Friday that eight people aboard the ship had fallen ill, including three who died. Six cases have been confirmed, with two others suspected.
HANTAVIRUS DEATHS ON CRUISE SHIP HIGHLIGHT DANGERS OF RODENT-BORNE DISEASE
A cruise ship linked to a Hantavirus outbreak anchored near the Spanish island of Tenerife ahead of a planned evacuation. (REUTERS/Hannah McKay)
In a statement Saturday, Ghebreyesus said the public health risk remains low.
“I know you are worried. I know that when you hear the word ‘outbreak’ and watch a ship sail toward your shores, memories surface that none of us have fully put to rest,” he said.
“The pain of 2020 is still real, and I do not dismiss it for a single moment. But I need you to hear me clearly: this is not another COVID-19. The current public health risk from Hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have said this unequivocally, and I will say it again to you now,” he continued.
ARGENTINA INVESTIGATORS ZERO IN ON POSSIBLE ORIGIN POINT OF HANTAVIRUS IN DEADLY CRUISE OUTBREAK
A police boat operates next to the cruise ship MV Hondius at the port of Granadilla de Abona after being affected by a hantavirus outbreak, in Tenerife, Spain, May 10, 2026. (REUTERS/Hannah McKay)
Ghebreyesus noted that the virus identified aboard the ship is the Andes strain of hantavirus, which can be severe.
“Three people have lost their lives, and our hearts go out to their families,” he wrote, reiterating that the public health risk posed by the virus remained low.
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An ambulance evacuates patients from the MV Hondius cruise ship to the airport in Praia, Cape Verde, on May 6, 2026. (Misper Apawu/AP)
About 30 crew members are expected to remain on board as the vessel continues to the Netherlands, where it will be disinfected.
Fox News Digital’s Robert McGreevy, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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