Pew: Public open to changes in Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, but not benefits cuts

The constant drumbeat of critics of social insurance programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid?that they're too expensive, that they're on the verge of collapse?have taken hold with the public, but that doesn't mean the public doesn't value them and want to see them preserved. That's the takeaway from a new Pew poll, which shows continued strong opposition to any reduction of benefits for participants in these programs. They also say that preserving these programs is more important than deficit reduction right now.

On the broad question of whether it is more important to reduce the budget deficit or to maintain current Medicare and Social Security benefits, the public decisively supports maintaining the status quo. Six-in-ten (60%) say it is more important to keep Social Security and Medicare benefits as they are; only about half as many (32%) say it is more important to take steps to reduce the budget deficit.

Half (50%) of Republicans say that maintaining benefits is more important than deficit reduction; about as many (42%) say it is more important to reduce the budget deficit. More independents prioritize maintaining benefits over reducing the deficit (by 53% to 38%). Democrats overwhelmingly view preserving current Social Security and Medicare benefits as more important (by 72% to 21%).

The public also opposes making Medicare recipients more responsible for their health care costs and allowing states to limit Medicaid eligibility. About six-in-ten (61%) say people on Medicare already pay enough of their own health care costs, while only 31% think recipients need to be responsible for more of the costs of their health care in order to make the system financially secure.

When it comes to Medicaid, just 37% want to allow states to cut back on who is eligible for Medicaid in order to deal with budget problems, while 58% say low-income people should not have their Medicaid benefits taken away. And most say it is more important to avoid future cuts in Social Security benefits than future increases in Social Security taxes (56% vs. 33%).

To be baldly political about this, according to this poll Republicans would be hurt a great deal more by advocating these cuts than Democrats would be by opposing them, as "Republicans face far more serious internal divisions over entitlement reforms than do Democrats."

Luckily for policy makers, if they can get their collective heads out of their deficit-peacock patooties long enough for it to occur to them, there are a number of policy options for strengthening the programs that don't include cutting benefits and hurting all of these people who will be really pissed of if it happens. The political situation, i.e. a batshit insane and nihilistic GOP, does make it difficult to enact good policy. But there's also always the option of doing nothing, which has the double advantages of not making things worse and being more popular with the public than what appear to be the alternatives.

Source: http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/P970X6S2njs/-Pew:-Public-open-to-changes-in-Medicare,-Medicaid,-Social-Security,-but-not-benefits-cuts

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