Seventy-three percent of Louisianans support Governor Edwards’ Medicaid expansion, according to LSU's 2019 Louisiana Survey.
LSU Manship School Dean Martin Johnson says before you preface the question with any background information about costs, the policy has bipartisan backing.
"Across Democrats and Republicans, as well as political Independents, there are pretty high levels of support for Medicaid expansion," he said.
The survey also found 74 percent of Louisianans support protections for pre-existing conditions in health insurance.
The survey shows support for the expansion increases even further when respondents were informed about how many people were covered by it, but Johnson says GOP support begins to collapse when the cost of the program is mentioned, something he says gubernatorial candidates are sure to notice.
"You get below a majority of Republicans supporting Medicaid expansion when you remind people of the cost," Johnson explained, "and that really is what Republican opponents of the Governor are counting on."
The Medicaid expansion provided health insurance coverage to 600,000 Louisiana, and is primarily funded by the feds.
Fifty-five percent of respondents said they were "unsure" whether the state had expanded Medicaid, with only 35 percent correctly saying that it had. Johnson says the large gap is due to the difference in language between people in political and news circles, and the public.
"There are a lot people in Louisiana who just know that they are able to access health coverage, but don’t put it in the same terms that we do," he said.
The expansion’s popularity has risen four percent in the three years since the survey began tracking it’s approval rating.