Should Medicaid funding be cut? What new poll finds as Congress considers changes

Most Americans do not want Medicaid funding to be cut, according to a new poll, which comes as Congress is weighing changes to the program.

In the latest KFF survey, the vast majority of respondents said that government spending on Medicaid should be increased (42%) or kept about the same (40%).

In contrast, a small fraction, 17%, said lawmakers should decrease spending on the program, which provides health care coverage to low-income people.

There was bipartisan agreement on this question, with 95% of Democrats, 85% of independents and 67% of Republicans saying funding should be increased or kept the same.

The poll — fielded Feb. 18-25 with 1,322 U.S. adults — was conducted after the Republican-led House passed a budget resolution that could lead to Medicaid funding cuts.

The resolution instructs the Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid, to make $880 billion in mandatory spending cuts over the next decade.

The resolution does not explicitly mention Medicaid, and House Republican leaders have said that the program’s benefits will not be reduced, according to the Associated Press.

President Donald Trump has said the same, telling reporters on Feb. 26 “We’re not going to touch” Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security.

But, a March 5 analysis from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan agency, found that an $880 billion spending reduction cannot be accomplished without slashing Medicaid funding, according to CBS News.

In response to the analysis, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said it “confirmed what we have long understood to be the case with the reckless Republican budget … Republicans are trying to rip healthcare away from tens of millions of Americans.”

Importance of Medicaid

In addition to opposing cuts to Medicaid, poll respondents also expressed that the program is important to them, their family and their community.

A majority of respondents, 56%, said Medicaid is somewhat or very important to themselves and their family. Meanwhile, 43% said it was not too or not at all important.

Most Democrats and independents — 59% and 60%, respectively — said it was important, while less than half of Republicans, 44%, said the same, according to the poll, which has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

Further, many respondents said they have personal experience with Medicaid.

A majority, 53%, said they or someone in their family have been covered by Medicaid at one time. This includes most Democrats and independents — 52% and 57% — and 44% of Republicans.

Additionally, 96% of respondents — including overwhelming majorities of Democrats, independents and Republicans — said Medicaid was very or somewhat important to members of their local community.

Work requirements

The poll also found that most Americans support work requirements for Medicaid — a proposal that has been discussed by Republicans in Congress.

Sixty-two percent of respondents said they favored “requiring nearly all adults to work or be looking for work in order to get health insurance through Medicaid.” Meanwhile, 38% opposed this.

In favor of this proposal were most Republicans and independents — 82% and 60% — while most Democrats, 53%, were opposed.

However, the poll also found that most Americans are unaware of how many Medicaid recipients are already working.

The majority of respondents, 62%, agreed with the statement that “most working age adults who have health insurance through Medicaid” are unemployed. Just 37% said most working age adults on Medicaid were employed.

However, a 2025 KFF analysis found that the majority of adults under 65 who are covered by Medicaid are already part of the workforce.

This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 10:38 AM with the headline "Should Medicaid funding be cut? What new poll finds as Congress considers changes."