Poll of West Virginia voters shows opposition to GOP reform proposals

A new poll released by the American Medical Association (AMA) shows that West Virginia voters have a low opinion of the House-passed health system reform bill and are strongly opposed to numerous provisions of the health system reform bill currently being considered by the Senate. The poll also shows strong support for Medicaid and overwhelming opposition to reducing spending on the program — as the House and Senate bills would do.

While the House and Senate bills target the growth of Medicaid, respondents overwhelmingly view the program favorably (55 percent) or neutral (21 percent). Only 14 percent of voters view it unfavorably. Additionally, although both the House and Senate health reform bills would roll back Medicaid expansion and cut Medicaid spending, 38 percent of respondents want to increase Medicaid funding in West Virginia, 42 percent want it to remain unchanged, and only 12 percent want it decreased.