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I wasn’t a big fan of carnival rides as a kid. I didn’t like feeling dizzy, unstable, out of kilter, off balance and lacking any sense of control to what happened to me.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy surprises, adventures, new experiences and learning new ideas. However, there are parts of life where I need stability, like feeling safe, job security, health coverage, enough money for food, bills and savings and the rights defined in the Constitution. I don’t think I’m alone.
There have been traumatic national events in my lifetime. None topped the assault on democracy in the past few months. It’s been frightening. It was the first simultaneous assault on the Constitution, the judicial branch of government and the rule of law compounded by an evaporation of empathy for our neighbors who may think, love, look or act differently than many Iowans.
This weekend, Iowa Senator Joni Ernst held a town hall at Parkersburg and was asked about “the Big Beautiful Bill” and reductions in Medicaid. Her inappropriate response at the town hall was followed by another equally inappropriate apology video. Both went viral and received coverage on national news.
Yes, Senator Ernst, we are “all going to die,” and your flippant “apology” video about the tooth fairy, accepting “your Lord and Savior” and filmed in a cemetery were in poor taste, unseemly and weird for a sitting member of the Senate. Were you demeaning constituents or giving us a view of who you are? As a Senator, isn’t it your responsibility to show empathy, not mock their fears?
Let me assist you with some education about public opinion of Medicaid. This data is from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), an independent source for health policy research, polling and news published March 7, 2025.
1. Most Americans have some connection to Medicaid. Approximately 65% of the public say that someone close to them has received help from Medicaid, including 53% reported that either they or family has been covered by the program. An additional 13% say a close friend has been covered, and 52% of Democrats, 57% Independents and 44% Republicans reported personal or family member coverage by Medicaid.
2. The public holds favorable views of Medicaid. 77% public holds a favorable view of Medicaid according to a January 2025 poll. 87% Democrats, 81% Independents and 63% Republicans positively viewed Medicaid.
3. Nearly all adults say Medicaid is important for people in their communities and more than half consider it important for their family. 97% of all adults polled said it was at least “somewhat important.” With 73% of those individuals saying it was “very important.” 56% of adults said that Medicaid was important to their families. Across partisan lines, 60% Democrats and Independents said it is important to them and their families, as do 44% Republicans.
4. Few adults want to see a decrease in federal Medicaid spending. Only 17% of adults want a decrease in Medicaid, with 42% preferring an increase and 40% wanting it kept about the same. Partisan break down reflected 64% Democrats want an increase in spending while 46% Independents and 43% Republicans support status quo.
5. Public misconceptions about Medicaid remain. Confusion centers around who and what is covered by Medicaid. 38% of the public know that Medicaid pays for nursing home care and long-term care services; 25% of the public wrongly believes that Medicare pays for the services; 31% don’t know.
6. Views of whether Medicaid is health insurance or “welfare” vary by partisanship. 61% of the public and Independents and 79% Democrats say Medicaid is primarily a health insurance program. 54% of Republicans say Medicaid is a welfare program.
7. Medicaid expansion is popular in non-expansion states. 41 states expanded coverage to all adults with incomes up to 138% of the poverty level. 10 states did not: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Medicaid is complicated. Ask anyone who has navigated the system. Medicaid is needed by Americans and cannot be compromised to give billionaire buddy tax-breaks.
Even without the tooth fairy’s help, Senator Ernst, Medicaid saves lives, especially special needs children, pregnant mothers, low-income families and the elderly. It helped my mom live for an additional three and a half years in a Care facility. That time was priceless.