Hartford Courant/Sacred Heart poll finds Connecticut residents lukewarm on ‘Medicare for All’; Biden is favorite to win Democratic nomination

A new Hartford Courant/Sacred Heart poll found state residents split on two policy initiatives currently gaining traction within the Democratic Party: a government-funded health insurance system and a program to forgive college debt.

The poll also found most respondents believe Vice President Joe Biden will be the party’s presidential nominee and that he would perform best in a head-to-head matchup with President Donald Trump in Connecticut.

More than a third of residents surveyed do not support a national health care system run by the federal government and financed, in part, by taxpayers. And nearly half said they would “somewhat“ (14.1%) or “strongly” (32.6%) oppose “Medicare for All" if it meant the elimination of all private health insurance.

There were generational and partisan splits on the question, with Democrats and voters aged 18 to 34 more in favor of a government-run health insurance program.

The poll, a partnership between The Hartford Courant and Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, was conducted between Sept. 17 and Oct. 2 with a sample of 1,000 state residents. The phone and digital survey, administered by GreatBlue Research in Glastonbury, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.02%.

Connecticut residents are far more supportive of plans to address rising college costs, another idea supported by many of the Democratic candidates running for president in 2020.

More than 60% of respondents strongly or somewhat support a plan to eliminate up to $50,000 in student debt for middle and lower income Americans. Another 58% reported they support raising taxes on the wealthy in order to fund a plan that would result in all public colleges becoming “debt free” for students.

“The connective thread between Medicare for All and free college is the concern over rising costs,” said Lesley DeNardis, executive director of Institute for Public Policy at Sacred Heart University and the poll’s director. “Costs are spiraling and people are concerned about that so there’s a receptiveness to anything that would address it.”

Almost two-thirds of respondents were familiar with the phrase “Medicare for All,” a broad term that encompasses various policies put forth by the Democrats to address the rising cost of health care. Some of those plans would eliminate private insurance altogether, while others would create a hybrid system, in which the government would provide basic coverage and individuals could purchase additional insurance on the open market.

Nearly 47% of respondents say they oppose “Medicare for All” if it means getting rid of the private insurance marketplace. “They’re not willing to go as far as eliminating private health insurance, with the caveat that there seems to be a youth and a partisan divide on that issue,” DeNardis said.

Indeed, 39% of respondents 18 to 34 said there should be one national health care system run by the federal government, compared with only 18% of respondents who are 65 or older. And half of all Democrats said they back such a plan, while only 18% of Republicans do.

The survey also asked residents which of the Democratic frontrunners will win the party’s presidential nomination; almost 37% of respondents named Biden as the likely nominee, followed by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 14%, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders at 10.8% and California Sen. Kamala Harris and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg in single digits.

All five Democratic candidates defeat Trump in Connecticut in hypothetical 2020 matchups, according to the poll, with Biden having the widest margin of victory.

"Biden still has a commanding lead over all of the other Democratic rivals,'' DeNardis said. “That’s a measure of his considerable name recognition after a lifetime in public service. There’s a level of familiarity that’s evident in our polling.”

Michael Vigeant, the CEO of the GreatBlue Research, said he was surprised the rest of the Democratic frontrunners did not perform better in the poll.

"Biden showing up as the frontrunner didn’t surprise me but I thought we would have seen a little closer numbers for Warren and Buttigieg,'' Vigeant said. "Joe was the clear winner.''

The poll also asked about two other hot button issues: compensation for college athletes and regulating vaping.

Fifty-two percent of respondents said they strongly or somewhat support the “Fair Pay to Play Act,” which would allow college athletes to earn money from endorsements.

And more than 72% of respondents strongly or somewhat back a ban on flavored electronic cigarettes.

Daniela Altimari can be reached at dnaltimari@courant.com.

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