Americans to Congress: Hands off our Medicare

In the wake of the last-minute agreement that avoided a government shutdown, a new Gallup poll is revealing how Americans feel about a number of issues, including the proposal to significantly cut domestic programs. Among Republicans, 64 percent favor cutting such programs versus 60 percent of Democrats who are opposed to such cuts. Independent voters are fairly split regarding the issue, with 44 percent in favor of cuts and 48 percent opposed.

When asked about Medicare, however, poll respondents came down firmly against Republican Paul Ryan’s proposal to overhaul the current Medicare system, replacing the government-administered program with a premium subsidy program. Even when framed as a method of controlling costs, the proposal received only a 31 percent approval rating among respondents, while 61 percent said Congress should either make minor adjustments to the program or abandon altogether any attempt to control program costs.