Bipartisan Majority of Voters Say Proposed Medicare Advantage Payment Rate Is Inadequate and Seniors Will Pay the Price

WASHINGTON — Voters across party lines say seniors will face higher costs and reduced benefits if Medicare Advantage funding doesn’t keep pace with rising medical costs — and warn it could undermine President Donald Trump’s pledge to protect Medicare. A new national poll from Better Medicare Alliance finds broad concern that CMS’s proposed Medicare Advantage payment rate falls short, raising alarms about the real-world impact on millions of seniors.

The new survey was conducted by The Winston Group, a longtime Republican polling firm.  It builds on earlier battleground polling by both Fabrizio Ward and Global Strategy Group/Public Opinion Strategies, which found voters oppose Medicare Advantage cuts by nearly 2:1 — underscoring the bipartisan strength of the findings and signaling broad and growing concern as the CY2027 rate debate intensifies.

At a time when 60% of voters say inflation is getting worse and health care costs continue to rise, voters are making a direct connection: inadequate Medicare Advantage funding will harm seniors, and it will motivate them at the ballot box this fall.

Among seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage, 86% say the proposed rate will be important in how they vote, including 52% who call it “very important.” Majorities in Senate battleground states (76%) and House battleground districts (75%) agree.

The stakes are immediate. CMS’s proposed 0.09% increase falls far short of rising medical costs — and when more than 35 million seniors renew coverage in October 2026, voters expect the consequences will be clear: higher premiums, reduced benefits, and fewer plan choices.

“Voters know what flat funding means for their health care: higher costs, reduced benefits, and more disruption,” said Mary Beth Donahue, President & CEO of Better Medicare Alliance. “This poll makes clear that seniors are watching — and they expect their leaders to protect Medicare, not weaken it. The Final Rate Notice is CMS’s opportunity to get this right.”

Key Findings

• A majority of Medicare Advantage seniors reject the CMS proposal as inadequate, 53%–24%.
• A majority (50%–26%) say the 0.09% increase is effectively flat funding that won’t keep pace with rising costs. Republicans agree 51%–27%.
• Voters believe 58%–21% that the proposal will lead to benefit cuts and higher costs for 35 million seniors. Republicans agree 54%–22%; Democrats agree 65%–19%.
• By nearly 2:1 (55%–27%), voters say the rate should be increased — including majorities of Republicans (50%–32%), independents (53%–25%), and seniors in Medicare Advantage (67%–17%). Majorities in Senate battleground states (56%–25%) and House battleground districts (53%–30%) agree.
• 52% support increasing funding to at least 5% to sustain current benefits; seniors in Medicare Advantage agree 62%–15%.
• 65% say seniors will face higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs if the proposal is finalized; among Medicare Advantage seniors, agreement rises to 76%–7%.
• 66% agree: a cut to Medicare Advantage is a cut to Medicare. Seniors in Medicare Advantage agree 82%–11%.
• 64% say underfunding Medicare Advantage would hurt President Trump’s pledge to protect Medicare — including 49% of Republicans.
• This is a voting issue: 86% of Medicare Advantage seniors say it will impact their vote in November, with 52% calling it “very important.”

These findings are consistent with a pattern BMA has tracked throughout this cycle. Battleground polling released in December 2025 — conducted by Fabrizio Ward, and by Global Strategy Group and Public Opinion Strategies — found voters in key House and Senate districts opposing Medicare Advantage cuts by 2:1, with nearly three-quarters agreeing that cutting Medicare Advantage is the same as cutting Medicare, and majorities saying they would be less likely to re-elect a member of Congress who supported those cuts. The Winston Group’s national survey confirms that sentiment has only broadened as the CY2027 rate debate has come into focus.

More than 35 million Americans rely on Medicare Advantage for lower costs, supplemental benefits, and better health outcomes. But those benefits depend on adequate funding — and voters expect policymakers to ensure the program keeps pace with rising medical costs.

The CY2027 Final Rate Notice, expected by early April, is CMS’s opportunity to course-correct for seniors — and as this survey shows, the voters who will decide next November’s elections are paying close attention.

Read the full Winston Group poll results here.

About the poll:

The Winston Group conducted this survey of 1,000 registered voters with an additional oversample of 800 seniors, March 9–13, 2026. The survey was commissioned by Better Medicare Alliance.

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Better Medicare Alliance is a community of hundreds of thousands of grassroots beneficiaries and 200+ ally organizations working to improve health care through a strong Medicare Advantage. Learn more at bettermedicarealliance.org.