Fifty-three percent (53%) of voters believe it is more important to provide funding that would protect the existing Medicare program rather than expanding Medicare by adding new benefits. A Scott Rasmussen national survey found that 34% disagree and think it is more important to add dental, vision, and hearing benefits.
Senior citizens, by a 64% to 22% margin, believe it is more important to shore up Medicare rather than expand it. A majority of Republicans, (57%), Democrats (51%), and Independents (52%) share that view.
Most traditional Democrats agree that the priority should be on protecting Medicare. Those who support policies like those of Senator Bernie Sanders are evenly divided.
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Note: Neither Scott Rasmussen, ScottRasmussen.com, nor RMG Research, Inc. have any affiliation with Rasmussen Reports. While Scott Rasmussen founded that firm, he left more than seven years ago and has had no involvement since that time.
Question:
The Medicare trust fund is projected to run out of money within approximately five years. Still, a proposal has been made to expand Medicare by adding dental, vision, and hearing benefits. Is it more important to provide funding that would protect the existing Medicare program or to expand Medicare by adding new benefits?
53% Provide funding to protect the existing program
30% Expand by adding new benefits
17% Not sure
Methodology
The survey of 1,200 Registered Voters was conducted online by Scott Rasmussen on October 25-27, 2021. Field work for the survey was conducted by RMG Research, Inc. Certain quotas were applied, and the sample was lightly weighted by geography, gender, age, race, education, internet usage, and political party to reasonably reflect the nation’s population of Registered Voters. Other variables were reviewed to ensure that the final sample is representative of that population.
