Government-run health care, universal Medicare buy-ins backed by most Democratic voters: Fox News Poll

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As health care continues to become a central issue heading into the 2020 presidential election season, Democrats indicate they favor offering some form of a government-run system, according to a Fox News Poll.

In an effort to move closer to universal coverage, 83 percent of Democrats favor a Medicare buy-in plan, which would allow individuals, regardless of age, to buy into the government-run system. Fifty-one percent of Republicans agreed.

Currently, the taxpayer-funded program covers Americans 65 and older. Overall, 10 percent of voters said a candidate who holds a health care position different than theirs is a deal-breaker.

READ THE FULL RESULTS OF THE FOX NEWS POLL

On Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi came out against the "Medicare-for-all" proposal. She said the presidential candidates should embrace the Affordable Care Act to achieve universal healthcare.

"I believe that the path... to healthcare for all is a path that is following the lead of the Affordable Care Act," she on CNBC's "Mad Money"

Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado said the Medicare plan would set the country back 10 years.

When asked if they supported getting rid of private health insurance and moving to a government-run option for everyone, 61 percent of Democrats, compared to 27 percent of Republicans, either strongly or somewhat favored the plan. The majority of House Democrats supported replacing private health insurance with a government plan to cover everyone.

Making minor changes to the Affordable Care Act while keeping it largely in place received support from 72 percent of Democrats. Republicans polled at 40 percent.

The presidential field of Democrats has engaged in intense clashes over their health care visions.

BERNIE SANDERS CLAIMS 'MEDICARE-FOR-ALL' WILL SLASH HEALTH CARE COSTS WITH TAX HIKE

Former Vice President Joe Biden and former Obama administration official Julian Castro exchanged barbs over ObamaCare during last week's debate in Houston.

Under a plan put forth by Sanders, individuals would be enrolled in the "Medicare-type" option automatically if they lost their jobs.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren was criticized for not directly answering whether taxes would go up under her Medicare-for-all plan.

In the race for the Democratic nomination, Biden is still polling ahead of his opponents at 29 percent, followed by Sanders at 18 percent and Warren at 16 percent. Forty-two percent of Democratic primary voters also feel Biden has the best shot at beating President Trump.

Democrats divide 43 percent and 49 percent over whether their vote in the primary will center on building on former President Obama's legacy or taking a new approach, respectively.

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The poll was conducted from Sunday through Tuesday during telephone interviews with 1,008 registered voters nationwide.

Conducted September 15-17, 2019 under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company (R), this Fox News Poll includes interviews with 1,008 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide who spoke with live interviewers on both landlines and cellphones.  The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points for all registered voters.