Medicaid Work Requirements Are Generally Popular, But Arguments Can Shift Views
The poll also gauges the public’s views on a provision in the House bill that would require most adult Medicaid enrollees to prove that they are working, engaged in other qualified activities, or meet exemption criteria, to keep their coverage.
The poll finds two-thirds of the public – including the vast majority of Republicans (88%) and MAGA supporters (93%), and half (51%) of Democrats – initially support requiring nearly all adults with Medicaid coverage to prove they are working, looking for work, in school, or doing community service, with exceptions for caregivers and people with disabilities.
However, attitudes toward this provision can shift dramatically when people are presented with facts and arguments related to its impact.
For example, when told most adults with Medicaid are already working or unable to work, and they could potentially lose coverage due to the challenges in providing paperwork to prove it, about half of supporters change their view, resulting in nearly two-thirds of adults (64%) opposing Medicaid work requirements and a third (35%) supporting it.
Similarly, overall support for work requirements drops to 40% after supporters hear that the policy would not have a significant impact on employment and would increase state administrative costs.
In the other direction, overall support increases to 79% when opponents of Medicaid work requirements hear the argument often made by supporters that such a requirement could save money and help fund Medicaid for groups like the elderly, people with disabilities, and low-income children.
The poll also gauges views on other health care provisions in the bill:
- A narrow majority (54%) opposes a provision that would reduce federal funding to states that use state money to expand health coverage to immigrants, including some undocumented immigrants, who don’t qualify for Medicaid. Just under half (45%) support the provision, including three-quarters of MAGA supporters (76%).
- Two-thirds (67%) oppose a provision that would stop all payments to Planned Parenthood and other clinics for services such as birth control and health screenings that they provide to people on Medicaid if the clinics also offer abortion services. A majority (62%) of MAGA supporters favor the provision, while Republican women are split (51% oppose, 49% support).
- Nearly two-thirds (65%) oppose provisions in the bill that would reduce ACA Marketplace enrollment by shortening the annual sign-up period and requiring more paperwork to verify people’s eligibility for coverage. Most Democrats (79%) and independents (68%) oppose the changes, while Republicans are split (51%support, 47% oppose). A narrow majority (55%) of MAGA supporters favor the change.
Most of the Public, Including Those who Rely on Medicaid, Worry About Bill’s Impact
Among the public overall, 72% say they are concerned that more adults and children will become uninsured because of the bill’s changes to Medicaid and the ACA. This includes large majorities of Democrats (90%) and independents (77%), and nearly half of Republicans (48%).
Among people who have a current personal or family connection to the Medicaid program, nearly 8 in 10 (77%) say they are concerned about a potential increase in the uninsured.
People under age 65 with Medicaid coverage also say they would face significant hardships if they were to lose their coverage. Without Medicaid, more than half say it would be “very difficult” to afford their prescription medications (68%), afford to see a health care provider (59%) or get and pay for another form of coverage insurance coverage (56%).
In addition, most Medicaid enrollees say that losing Medicaid coverage would have a “major impact” on their financial well-being (75%), overall quality of life (69%), their mental health (66%), and their physical health (60%). Four in ten say it would have a “major impact” on their ability to work.
Designed and analyzed by public opinion researchers at KFF, this survey was conducted June 4-8, 2025, online and by telephone among a nationally representative sample of 1,321 U.S. adults in English and in Spanish. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for the full sample. For results based on other subgroups, the margin of sampling error may be higher.
