Support for Medicare for All has climbed to 66 percent among U.S. adults in 2026 - the highest level since 2016 - according to polling results published Tuesday by health research group KFF. Nothing says "national consensus" quite like a policy that has been debated, declared dead, and resurrected roughly every news cycle for a decade.

KFF found that 32 percent of respondents strongly favored "having a national health plan … in which all Americans would get their insurance from a single government plan," the stance commonly known as Medicare for All. That's up roughly 13 points from when the question was last posed in 2020, a period during which the American public apparently had some time to think.

An additional 34 percent somewhat supported the plan, while 15 percent somewhat opposed it and 19 percent strongly opposed. In polling terms, that's what passes for a landslide.

The single-payer system's evaluation split predictably along party lines: 84 percent of Democrats favored the policy, while 66 percent of Republicans opposed it. Among independents, approval reached 72 percent - a number that suggests independents are either genuinely persuadable or simply enjoy being the center of attention.

KFF also found that Americans' opinions on national health plans shift based on "any public debate in which the public hears arguments for and against such a plan." In other words, people respond to things they hear. Groundbreaking.

For example, opposition to Medicare for All reached 76 percent when respondents heard it could cause potential delays in medical appointments or treatments. Sixty-four percent opposed the plan if it caused tax hikes, while 61 percent said they would be against a national health program if it threatened the current Medicare system.

On the other hand, support reached 76 percent when those polled heard the policy might guarantee health insurance as a right for all Americans, and 52 percent backed such a program if it eliminates health insurance premiums.

The latter results mark a departure from October 2020, when the prospect of Medicare for All eliminating private insurance companies led to lower support - just 37 percent. Fifty-eight percent opposed the measure in the case that it made private health insurance obsolete. Each of these claims shifted respondents' opinions across the board, regardless of partisanship and age - a finding that will surprise absolutely no one who has ever spoken to a human being.

A group of progressive lawmakers attempted to address rising healthcare concerns through the Medicare for All Act, introduced by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) in April 2025. It was co-sponsored by 117 House Democrats but opposed by GOP lawmakers, who argued it was too radical. The bill's odds of passage remain, technically speaking, nonzero.

However, as a national health plan gained support, health care affordability concerns remain a top issue among voters - who trust Democrats over Republicans on the issue by a nearly two-to-one margin, according to KFF. About half of voters said it is "extremely important" for candidates in the midterm elections to talk about the cost of health care, the survey found. The other half presumably would prefer candidates talk about literally anything else.

The poll was conducted among 1,328 respondents between Sept. 16 - 21. Its margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.