Medicare has risen higher among the list of Republican voters' priorities, replacing the healthcare reform law, according to Kaiser's August Health Tracking Poll.
Jobs are still the number one issue for Republicans, but of the healthcare issues affecting their vote, 67 percent ranked the cost of healthcare and insurance either "extremely" or "very important." Next was Medicare, cited by 61 percent of Republicans as important to their vote. The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ranked third at 54 percent.
A separate Kaiser survey found 55 percent of Republicans prefer the idea of keeping Medicare as it is rather than changing it to a premium support program. Republican presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney and vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan have proposed converting Medicare into a premium support program, and Rep. Ryan has called for such a change to go into effect in 2023.
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Jobs are still the number one issue for Republicans, but of the healthcare issues affecting their vote, 67 percent ranked the cost of healthcare and insurance either "extremely" or "very important." Next was Medicare, cited by 61 percent of Republicans as important to their vote. The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ranked third at 54 percent.
A separate Kaiser survey found 55 percent of Republicans prefer the idea of keeping Medicare as it is rather than changing it to a premium support program. Republican presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney and vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan have proposed converting Medicare into a premium support program, and Rep. Ryan has called for such a change to go into effect in 2023.
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Poll: 51% of Americans Oppose PPACA; 1 out of 6 Want More Reform