Americans would rather see Congress prioritize tackling issues such as drug prices, pre-existing conditions and surprise medical bills than undertake another  major health care reform.

A poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) shows that most Americans want the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to continue to be the law of the land—and that they are focused more on specific issues of health care, such as high drug costs, rather than wanting to see sweeping changes like creating a Medicare for All system.

The April tracking poll from KFF shows that Americans are very concerned about health care issues that could affect them directly. When asked what priorities Congress should have regarding health care policy:

• 68 percent of Americans saying lowering drug costs should be a top priority
• 64 percent list protections for people with pre-existing health conditions as a top priority
• 50 percent say protecting people from surprise medical bills should be a top priority

On the other hand, implementing a Medicare for All system is listed as a top priority for 31 percent of Americans; repealing and replacing the ACA is listed by 27 percent; and expanding financial help for those already on the ACA marketplace is listed as a top priority by 26 percent of respondents.

Medicare for All has support—depending on how it's defined

Even if it's not top-of-mind for Americans, the Medicare for All concept has had steady support in recent years. In the most recent polling, 56 percent of Americans said they favor a Medicare for all system. Support for the concept has remained steady, at between 59 percent and 55 percent in KFF polls since June 2017.

However, the way such a national, single-payer plan is labeled clearly makes a difference. Calling it “universal health coverage” results in 63 percent of respondents saying they have a positive reaction to the term. “Medicare for All” gets positive marks from 63 percent; “single-payer insurance” gets a 49 percent positive response; and “socialized medicine” gets a positive response from 46 percent of Americans.

Partisanship weighs heavily on the discussion

As with many legislative issues today, partisan lines have continued to harden: since 2017, Democratic support of Medicare for All has jumped from 49 percent to 58 percent, while Republican respondents have had the opposite reaction: 42 percent opposed Medicare for All in 2017, 51 percent oppose it now.