New Polling Shows Voter Backlash as Senate Republicans Weigh Medicare Advantage Cuts
As Senate Republicans consider cuts to Medicare Advantage in budget reconciliation, new national polling reveals overwhelming public opposition, with voters sending a clear warning to lawmakers: Any attempt to scale back Medicare Advantage would carry serious consequences for the more than 34 million seniors and Americans with disabilities who rely on it.
A national survey of 1,000 registered voters conducted by the Winston Group and commissioned by Better Medicare Alliance finds:
- 70% of voters — including 65% of Republicans — believe Medicare Advantage cuts would raise costs and reduce benefits for seniors.
- 56% of seniors, and 64% of Medicare Advantage enrollees, oppose using cuts to the program as a budget reconciliation pay-for.
- 69% of voters support the funding increase for Medicare Advantage approved under the Trump administration earlier this year.
- A 65–15% majority agrees that Medicare Advantage is modernizing health care through telehealth, in-home care, and wellness programs.
As discussions on Capitol Hill intensify, seniors are speaking out about the potential impact of these proposed cuts — with many sharing urgent pleas that lawmakers protect the coverage they depend on.
“If I didn’t have (Medicare Advantage), I don’t know how I would afford my food, medication, and doctor’s visits,” says Patricia K. of Chicago, Illinois.
In Dayton, Ohio, Anita B. and her husband — both 75 and managing chronic illnesses — rely on their Medicare Advantage plans for medications, fitness programs, and over-the-counter benefits. “We wouldn’t be able to live without these things,” she says.
Betty R. of Warren, Michigan, who is currently hospitalized, puts it plainly: “Please do not cut my Medicare Advantage plan any more than it has been cut. …I just can’t afford another increase to another bill that I may owe.”
Robin B. in Douglasville, Georgia, is fighting multiple forms of cancer. “My Medicare Advantage plan pays for all my chemotherapy and has been a big help to me,” she says. “Please strengthen and continue Medicare Advantage for people like me.”
These voices reflect the broad anxiety among seniors as Congress debates policies that could jeopardize their care. Dr. Maxine C., an educator from Vinton, Virginia, adds: “Medicare Advantage has been an added plus. …Please do not take it away from us. We have worked so many years to get it.”
Together, the polling and these real stories make clear: Medicare Advantage is not just the most popular coverage option for seniors — it is indispensable. And at a moment when Senate Republicans are openly weighing cuts, voters across party lines are urging Congress to take a different path.
Better Medicare Alliance calls on policymakers to listen. Protecting Medicare Advantage means protecting seniors’ health, independence, and peace of mind. As the budget reconciliation process unfolds, Congress must stand with the millions of Americans who cannot afford to lose the care they’ve earned.