Poll: Support for ‘Medicare-for-all’ fluctuates with details

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new poll finds that “Medicare-for-all” makes a good first impression but support plunges when people are asked if they’d pay higher taxes or put up with treatment delays tied to the single-payer system.

The survey from the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation comes as Democratic presidential hopefuls embrace the idea of a government-run health care system.

The poll found that Americans initially support “Medicare-for-all,” 56 percent to 42 percent.

Those numbers can shift dramatically when people are given additional information.

Support increases to 71 percent when people learn “Medicare-for-all” would guarantee a right to health insurance.

But if they’re told that a government-run system could lead to delays in getting care or higher taxes, support plunges to 26 percent and 37 percent, respectively.