While the American public is largely divided on healthcare-related political issues, such as the Affordable Care Act and Cadillac Plan Tax, certain issues transcend partisanship, according to Kaiser Family Foundation's September Health Tracking Poll.
Here are five key findings from the report.
1. The public's view of the ACA remains divided. In terms of the future of the healthcare law, 42 percent of Democrats believe Congress should expand on what the ACA does, while just 7 percent of Republicans share the same view. More than half (57 percent) of Republicans want Congress to repeal the entire law, compared with 11 percent of Democrats. Overall, 25 percent of the American public wants Congress to expand the ACA, 18 percent want to keep it the same, 11 percent want to scale it back and 31 percent want it repealed entirely.
2. Most Americans believe presidential candidates' views of the ACA are one of many important factors affecting their vote. Twenty-nine percent of Democrats and 22 percent of Republicans said they would only vote for a candidate who shares their views on the ACA, while 53 percent of Democrats and 58 percent of Republicans said a candidate's position on the ACA is just one of many important factors to consider.
3. The public is also divided on the Cadillac Plan Tax, which will impose a tax beginning in 2018 on higher cost employer-sponsored health plans that will help pay for the ACA. Divided by political party, 48 percent of Democrats support the tax, while just 8 percent of Republicans favor it. The Kaiser Health Tracking Poll found 60 percent of Americans oppose the tax, 28 percent favor it and 12 percent don't know or refused to respond.
4. The Medical Device Tax, which taxes manufacturers to help pay for other parts of the ACA, is also a point of contention but less so than the Cadillac Plan Tax. More than half of the American public (57 percent) favor eliminating the Medical Device Tax, while 36 percent oppose eliminating it and 7 percent don't know or refused to respond. Democrats were relatively split on the issues, with 48 percent opposed to eliminating the tax and 45 in favor of eliminating it. The vast majority of Republicans would like to see the tax eliminated (67 percent), while 26 percent oppose eliminating it.
5. When it comes to end-of-life care, the majority of Americans across all ages believe insurers should covering the cost of discussions regarding treatment options. In total, 81 percent of people believe Medicare should cover discussions between patients and physicians on end-of-life treatment options, and 83 percent believe private health insurance should cover such discussions. The Kaiser poll did not separate responses by political party.