This data note provides an overview of recent KFF polling on the public’s views of and connections to Medicaid, the federal-state government health insurance for certain low-income adults and children and long-term care program for adults 65 and older and younger adults with disabilities.
#1: Most Americans Have Some Connection to Medicaid
Most adults report some level of connection to the Medicaid program. About two-thirds (65%) of the public say that someone close to them has received help from Medicaid at some point, including over half (53%) who say either they themselves or a member of their family has been covered by the program and an additional 13% who say a close friend has been covered. Substantial shares of Democrats (52%), independents (57%), and Republicans (44%) say they or a family member has ever been covered by Medicaid.
#2: The Public Holds Favorable Views of Medicaid
Majorities of the public across partisanship hold favorable views of Medicaid. The January 2025 KFF Health Tracking Poll found about three-quarters of the public have a “very favorable” (37%) or “somewhat favorable” (40%) view of the program, while one-quarter have an unfavorable view. At least eight in ten Democrats (87%) and independents (81%), along with nearly two-thirds of Republicans (63%) view the program favorably. KFF polling has found that the public has viewed Medicaid more positively than negatively since at least the late 1990s.
#3: Nearly All Adults Say Medicaid Is Important for People in Their Communities and More Than Half See It As Important for Their Families
Nearly all adults (97%) say Medicaid is at least somewhat important for people in their local community, including about three in four (73%) who say it is “very important.” Large majorities across partisans say Medicaid is important to people in their local community – though Republicans are less likely to say it is “very important.”
A majority (56%) of adults also say Medicaid is important for them and their family, including about a third (35%) who say it is “very important.” More than three in four adults who have been covered by Medicaid or have had a family member covered by the program say it is “very important” or “somewhat important” to them and their families. Across partisans, about six in ten Democrats and independents say Medicaid is important to them and their families, as do 44% of Republicans.
#4: Few Adults Want To See a Decrease in Federal Medicaid Spending
The February 2025 KFF Health Tracking Poll found that few adults (17%) say they want to see Congress decrease federal spending on Medicaid. Most people say they want to see Congress either increase Medicaid spending (42%) or keep it about the same (40%). A majority of Democrats (64%) want Congress to increase spending on Medicaid while pluralities of independents (46%) and Republicans (43%) want to see Congress keep Medicaid funding about the same.
#5: Some Public Misconceptions About Medicaid Remain
Despite large shares of the public having some connection to Medicaid, there is still some confusion about who and what is covered by Medicaid. For example, just 38% of the public know that Medicaid is the government program that pays for nursing homes and long-term care services; one in four adults incorrectly believe that Medicare pays for these services, and 31% of the public say they don’t know.
Similarly, though KFF analysis has shown that about two-thirds of adults ages 19-64 who have Medicaid coverage are already employed, just about four in ten adults (37%) are aware most people in the program are working while about six in ten (62%) incorrectly think most working-age people with Medicaid are unemployed.
Additionally, just about half of the public (53%) know that undocumented immigrants are not eligible for health insurance programs like Medicaid paid by the federal government, whereas slightly less than half of the public are either unsure (28%) or incorrectly believe (18%) that undocumented immigrants are eligible for health insurance programs paid for by the federal government.
#6: Views of Whether Medicaid Is Health Insurance or Welfare Vary by Partisanship
When asked whether Medicaid is primarily a government health insurance program or a government welfare program, a larger share of the public (61%) as well as six in ten independents and eight in ten Democrats (79%) say Medicaid is primarily a health insurance program. A smaller majority of Republicans (54%) say Medicaid is primarily a welfare program.
#7: Medicaid Expansion Is Popular in Non-Expansion States
The Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) gave states an option to expand their Medicaid coverage to nearly all adults with incomes up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level and receive additional federal funding for their expanded Medicaid populations.
As of 2025, 41 states and Washington, D.C. have expanded their Medicaid programs under the ACA while 10 states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) have not adopted the expansion. KFF polling has found that two-thirds of people living in non-expansion states think their state should expand Medicaid to cover more low-income people under the ACA. This is nearly twice the share who say they want their state Medicaid program to stay as it is (34%).
