Medicare Poll: Paul Ryan Plan Unpopular With Seniors

A new survey released Monday by the Pew Research Center finds slightly more Americans oppose than favor the budget and Medicare plan advanced by the Republicans and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and finds that opposition is especially high among seniors and those following the issue most closely.

According to the survey, 36 percent of American adults favor the plan and 41 percent are opposed. That includes a larger percentage of respondents who strongly oppose the plan (30 percent) than strongly favor it (22 percent).

Other recent national polls have shown even greater opposition to the Ryan plan. These surveys asked very different questions but, as shown in the table below, found roughly the same relatively low level of support -- varying between 34 and 36 percent -- for Ryan's proposal to transform Medicare into a voucher system.

Why did the Pew Research question yield less opposition and more uncertainty than the other polls? One reason is that, unlike the CNN question, it does not explicitly identify the plan as sponsored by the Republicans. A second may be that the Pew Research question immediately followed another that asked respondents how closely they had been following the Medicare proposal. Many of the 28 percent who said they had heard "nothing at all about it" may have felt nudged to express uncertainty on the next question.

The questions posed by Quinnipiac University and ABC News/Washington Post differ in two ways: They use a different format, explicitly posing the choice between the proposal and letting Medicare "remain as it is today." And they also provide more details about the proposal, specifically noting that the proposed credit people would receive would be "fixed amounts" of money.

The Pew Research survey shows that the greatest opposition comes from older respondents. A majority (51 percent) of Americans age 50 and over oppose Ryan's plan, and only 29 percent favor it. Those age 50 and older also seem to be the most engaged in the debate -- 27 percent of Americans between ages 50 and 64, and 30 percent of those over age 65, said they had heard "a lot" about the plan, compared to 20 percent of respondents as a whole.

Americans ages 49 and under, meanwhile, are more likely to support the plan. 46 percent of 18-29 year olds say they support it, including 27 percent who say they strongly support it. Those between ages 30 and 49 are slightly less supportive than the youngest age cohort, with 38 percent in favor and 36 percent opposed (23 percent in that age group strongly support the plan and 25 percent strongly oppose).

However, these age groups are less likely to have heard a lot about the plan, signalling a lower level of engagement with the issue among younger Americans. Thirteen percent of 18-29 year olds and 15 percent of 30-49 year olds say they have heard "a lot" about the plan.

The Pew Research Center poll was conducted May 25-30 among 1,509 adults, and had a 3.5 percentage point margin of error. The full report, including toplines and selected crosstabs, is available here.

Comments

[7prayers]

08:17 PM on 06/20/2011

If you have any pre-existing condition, diabetes, heart,kidney,lung, back or nor neck problems, depression, recovering alcoholic, high blood pressure, overweight, forget getting a private insurance policy from any commerical insurance policy- you will be turned down. Ryan's vouchure system leaves individuals to fight with insurance companies. First fight, getting insured period. Second- cost, Third what is covered.Fourth- will they drop you if you have too many claims (this currently happens on individual policies) Individual health insurance policies are very pricy, and if you have ever had any illness, or health issue, you can count on that cost being three times higher. Seniors know- by the time they are over age 65, very few have perfect health. Currently individual health insurance policies (not thru work) for someone who has had breast cancer, or prostrate cancer averages about $18,000 year for a policy with a $7,000 deductable. Those individuals are under the age of 65. I can't even begin to image the cost of their policies once they are 65, or 70, or 75, or 80? Individual health insurance goes up if you get ill. They are drop you if you get too many illnesses. That is unless of course is Obamacare is still the law of the land, then fortunately no one can be turned down. One will only have to deal with the high costs. The vouchure system is death to seniors.

[Historybuff77]

10:18 PM on 06/14/2011

The Ryan plan would return medical care for future senior citizens to the level provided in the early 1930's, which was essentially nothing. Medicare can be easily fixed by adding a few painless and simple taxes to bolster it. There is nothing wrong with raising revenue. Reagan did it eleven times. Simple and painless taxes such as a per transaction tax on all stock and bond transactions could add many billions to the Medicare trust funds. With the type of stipends Ryan proposes, future seniors could not pay forty percent of the cost of any insurance comparable to Medicare. His plan is a recipe for disaster to the health of Americans.

[Lori Rob]

09:52 PM on 06/23/2011

R E D...Revenue...raise Fn Taxes
Entitlements....revise the structure of SS & Medicare on the Wealthy
Defense....an 800 Billion Dollar Budget? Hello to fight who or where are they..that's a

[Lori Rob]

09:57 PM on 06/23/2011

R E D...
Revenu­e...raise Taxes
Entitlemen­ts....revi­se the structure of SS & Medicare on the Wealthy
Defense...­.an 800 Billion Dollar Budget is way out of line - cut it
simple enough plan to repair the economy

[Historybuff77]

11:33 AM on 06/24/2011

If you look at the defense budget on a pie chart, if it's shown correctly, it will occupy about 39-percent of the budget. However, that's smoke and mirrors because it does not include what we pay out out on past wars. Past wars includes the military and VA hospital systems, military retirement, VA cash benefits, and billions of interest on money we borrowed to fight past wars. The interest we pay on the national debt includes a sizable amount of interest on the huge amounts we borrowed to fight our past wars. The first things mentioned above, which are only right and proper (in fact, we should have better care for our vets than we do) are also sizable amounts. Together, when added to our present war expenses, present military contract acquistions, and interest on what we're now borrowing to fight out present wars, the total present and past military expenditures comprises approximately 52-percent of the entire federal budget. Those are factual figures, not smoke and mirrors. We simply cannot be the police force for the world, nor can we jump into wars, as we did in Iraq, on ficititious and erroneous facts.

[freedom1947]

11:16 AM on 06/13/2011

Plenty of tar and feathers for these hero republicans.

[Edwierdo Locho]

01:17 AM on 06/11/2011

Paul Ryan created political graffiti which tags over a socially expectable wall of health care that protects seniors from bankruptcy!! His plan is a kaleidescope of political special conservative interest that the scope of the policies portray a protected directives of conservative policy.
Ryan serves his campaign contributions than the people this jerk represents.

[BigCatsFL]

08:41 PM on 06/10/2011

I read the Bill but didnt really understand the jargon or verbage and it seemed to repeat and go in circles. I am very againist the Obama healthcare insurance, but Ryans isnt really any thing to get excited about and probably will only end up a mess too. No one any where has put a real program together. Tort reform isnt even in the discussion. Prescription cost are never mentioned. Current insurance policies are a nightmare. Doctors reject what the insurance carriers demand, and the pharmacies are just sitting back getting rich off both. Since we cant redo it all and make everyone happy at once, why not reform one large piece at a time. It is not that difficult. I dont believe any politician gets it because they are not there to solve problems because if they were, something would get done that was good.

[tonydon]

12:43 PM on 06/10/2011

Your generous at 50% most Americans don't read anything except Facebook and Twitter

[PhilipTaylor]

04:38 AM on 06/09/2011

PAUL RYAN THE HYPOCRITE WENT TO COLLEGE ON HIS FATHER’S SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS AFTER HIS PASSING:

Ryan is a pure example of how millions of lives depended on our SAFETY NETS to prevent personal catastrophe.  In Ryan’s case the safety net lifted him out of a tough situation - 30% goes directly to widows,orphans and the disabled. 

http://www.politicususa.com/en/paul-ryan-social-security

[Thanks to CarolAB - AGAIN]

[patches12]

12:02 PM on 06/08/2011

For all you Medicare "deniers" out there ......

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/01/AR2006050101448.html

Bill Clinton agrees with Ryan

http://www.independentsentinel.com/2011/05/act-on-medicare-to-preserve-it

http://freedomslighthouse.net/2011/05/26/marco-rubio-anyone-who-says-medicare-is-not-going-bankrupt-is-simply-lying/

Finally, don't take my word for it... read the report for YOUSELVES... I know its difficult but try!

http://www.ssa.gov/oact/trsum/index.html

[tonydon]

12:36 PM on 06/10/2011

Will why don't we raise the amount of earning you must make to contribute to it to total salary while working and also place all our elected officials in it.

[patches12]

09:20 PM on 06/10/2011

What the hell are you talkikng about????

your post is incoherent

[Historybuff77]

10:21 PM on 06/14/2011

Elected officials are covered by Medicare and have been since 1983. Raising the ceiling on which Medicare taxes must be paid, however, is a good idea.

[Darthpanda]

09:33 PM on 06/14/2011

Aren't these all right wing? How reliable is that? Oh and by the way most illiterates live in the south, the deep red south.

[Historybuff77]

10:23 PM on 06/14/2011

Have you ever lived in the south? I have, and I can assure you the majority of southerners are well educated, well read, and compare favorable in terms of education and intelligence with any area of the country. I've also lived in the midwest, the east, and the southwest.

[opinioned1]

08:17 PM on 06/07/2011

Why, if Ryan's plan is so appealing, especially to republicans, is it not at least offered as an option to those currently 55 and older?

For all of the hot-air bravado currently emanating from the far right concerning the merits of Ryan's plan, very few of the current Republican Medicare recipients would actually choose to opt out if given the chance.

[LightShadow62]

07:13 PM on 06/07/2011

I would say that Ryan and the rest of the Congress should show us the way and turn their health insurance plan into a voucher program. The problem is that most of them are independently wealthy and wouldn't even notice that it was costing them more than many people make a year.

[calblue61]

07:58 PM on 06/07/2011

I agree with you...but anybody, I mean anybody, have ever asked if he or his colleagues are willing to give up their "socialist" free health care or retirement package? I would love to read their comments.

[LightShadow62]

08:37 PM on 06/07/2011

Plenty have asked but they just ignore the question.

[H321]

05:59 PM on 06/07/2011

The Pew Research question is a joke!

[opinioned1]

08:19 PM on 06/07/2011

What are the odds that the 20 million Republicans, most of whom support Ryan's budget proposal, would actually take the option and opt out of the current system for Ryan's voucher plan if given the opportunity?

The answer has been already given in recent poll numbers - only 20-22%, or approximately 4 million. The rest, 16 million republicans currently on Medicare, would rather keep the current single payer Medicare system.

[tonydon]

12:37 PM on 06/10/2011

How many have ever take part in one of these questionaires?

[NMLurker]

05:24 PM on 06/07/2011

I am a senior and many (not me) voted for the GOTP in 2010 which is why they are all on a fast track to dismantle America as we know it. In this senior block there are some (a few) that don't know the difference between a gas pedal and a brake pedal and I don't want them making decisions that affect our offspring's future.

[Donkan]

05:13 PM on 06/07/2011

There was a time when the elderly were supported by the children, often the oldest son. Of course, people didn't live as long back then and many lived in large homes with rooms vacated by grown children. I imagine that you would have trouble these days finding younger adults ready or able to take on that responsibility. As a society, we need to make other arrangements.

[Ourstorian]

06:22 PM on 06/07/2011

"I imagine that you would have trouble these days finding younger adults ready or able to take on that responsibi­lity."

Part of the difficulty is that so many of them are unemployed. In fact a lot of them have returned home to live with their parents because they can't support themselves.

[LightShadow62]

07:10 PM on 06/07/2011

There was also a time when the average family could afford healthcare, those times no longer exist.

[jaslyn]

04:56 PM on 06/07/2011

Why does Paul Ryan hate your Grandma?

[swengnikaerb]

06:20 PM on 06/07/2011

She's not rich?

[loco48]

04:47 PM on 06/07/2011

A republican house member is proposing privatizing SS again. See HP. The objective of the republicans it seems like, is to privatize the entire government by turning it over to CEO's to futher enrich themselves. And then when corporations control all of the money there will be no USA, just the united corporations of america. How soon we forget enron,worldcom, global crossing, countrywide, lehman bros, goldman sachs, bernard madow. Government is a non-profit endever and it should stay that way.