Poll: Majority of Ohioans support Medicaid

Ohioans across the political spectrum have a favorable opinion of Medicaid, a new statewide poll shows (Source: “Poll: Ohioans of all political stripes like Medicaid, by large majorities,” Cincinnati Enquirer, Oct. 9, 2018).

The 2018 Ohio Health Issues Poll, conducted by Cincinnati-based Interact for Health, found sizeable majorities of Ohioans holding favorable opinions of the government health program for children and adults with lower incomes.

Seven in 10 Ohio adults had a favorable opinion of Medicaid, with nearly six in 10 Republicans and independents holding a somewhat or very favorable view. Eight in 10 Democrats said they favored Medicaid in some way.

Interact for Health officials noted the state results are consistent with national polls. In February, the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 74 percent of Americans had a favorable opinion of Medicaid.

The poll also found that the vast majority of Ohio adults have some kind of health insurance. One in 10 adults between 18 to 64 said they did not currently have health coverage. Those results also are similar to the nation. The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that 13 percent of American adults were uninsured between January and March 2018.

Full disclosure: Interact for Health provides core funding to the Health Policy Institute of Ohio.