Poll: M4A supported by 56% of Americans, opposed by 41%.

[DanTex]

https://www.kff.org/health-reform/poll-finding/kff-health-tracking-poll-january-2020/

Just one of many polls that contradict the fiction that M4A is horribly unpopular. The same is true for most of the progressive agenda of Sanders and Warren.

So what's with the polls you've heard about saying Americans hate M4A? You know how they get those poll numbers? Before they ask about M4A, they have the pollsters tell people anti-M4A talking points. Like, if you ask people "do you want M4A, which will raise your taxes and take away the health insurance you have now?" you get a lower number. It works the other way too. If you ask people "do you want M4A, which will save you money and let you see any doctor you want for free?" then you get a higher number.

You can do that with any policy. You could probably even get world peace to poll badly if you asked "are you in favor of world peace, causing devastating job losses for millions of workers in defense-related industries?"

But if you ask a neutrally worded question then you find that M4A is net favorable. Here's the wording of the KFF poll, along with the results. Also remarkable is that M4A has remained popular despite all the attacks on it both from the right and from many centrist think tanks and pundits.

[denem]

1. Polls before the Health industry attack / scare campaign mean FA.

There was deep support for the Clintons' health initiative before Harry & Louise.

[George II]

2. That's not "THE Medicare for All" but "A Medicare for all". No one ever doubted....

....that universal healthcare would be popular, but when we look at which one we find, regarding Sanders' proposal (not a plan, yet):

...the Medicare-for-all plan he’s championed is significantly less popular than the “public option” approach put forward by some other candidates. Among adults overall, a narrow majority (53%) support the idea of a Medicare-for-all plan while a larger majority (65%) say they support a government-run public option that would compete with private insurance.

On this issue his proposal is losing badly to the government-run public option.

[DanTex]

5. Both are popular. My point is that people saying M4A is unpopular are wrong.

People saying M4A is popular, but a public option is even more popular, are right.

[George II]

8. The point is that there are several universal health insurance plans, unfortunately....

....those pushing for Sanders' proposal (again, not a plan) are lumping them all together and claiming that they're HIS proposal, which isn't true.

Plans other than his are far more appealing to the voters.

[Recursion]

10. When you specify that private insurance goes away the numbers always tank

And that's the problem.

[DanTex]

11. And when you specify that there are no copays or premiums, the numbers go up.

That works both ways.

[Recursion]

13. No, they don't. This has been polled

Once suburban white families realize they'll be going to the same doctors "those people" go to, they become Republican very very quickly. This is exactly what we saw in 2010.

[DanTex]

14. Yes, they do. And, yes, it has been polled.

The results of the polls show that the fraction supporting M4A can be moved in both directions depending on what talking points are including along with the poll question. You're not really trying to claim that they numbers can only be moved down, and not up?

[highplainsdem]

3. You obviously didn't read the article, which explains that half or more than half STILL have MFA

confused with the public option.

[DanTex]

4. Wrong. Public option polls better than M4A, true, but M4A still polls over 50%.

Both are popular with voters.

[highplainsdem]

6. I've posted an OP about the confusion.

[Recursion]

7. M4A polls over 50%, and then when you ask them what M4A means

most of them describe a public option.

[George II]

9. Meaning there is confusion, and unfortunately some are playing on that confusion to promote....

....the least popular proposal.

[mr_lebowski]

12. Once you go down the 'people are stupid' rabbit-hole there's no getting back ...

How many people confuse 'public option' with 'mfa' and how many confuse 'mfa' with 'public option' and how many people have no clue what you're even talking about and just answer the question anyways?

That said, people are ALWAYS going to prefer 'options' to things that sound like mandates.

I think MFA, using that name, is a political loser. There's at least 3 better names for the idea I can think of offhand that would poll better.

And starting out with a Public Option is IMMINENTLY more logical and more likely to be popular.