A new poll by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies finds solid support across the South from a majority of both African Americans and non-Hispanic whites for the expansion of the Medicaid program as called for in the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The Deep South and Medicaid Expansion: The View from Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina was conducted in March and April, 2013. The poll found that 62.3 percent of 2,500 respondents living in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina support expanding the Medicaid program to cover more low-income, uninsured adults. There were racial differences on Medicaid expansion but, nonetheless, majorities of both African Americans (85.3 percent) and non-Hispanic whites (53.3 percent) favored it. Self-identified liberals (78.2 percent) and moderates (69.3 percent) solidly favored Medicaid expansion. While a plurality of conservatives opposed expansion (48.9 percent), it should be noted that a substantial 46.9 percent of conservatives supported it. A large majority of Democrats (87.1 percent) and a majority of independents (56.6 percent) supported expansion, while Republican identifiers (37.9 percent) were the subgroup most opposed.

In addition to support for the Medicaid expansion, residents of the polled states showed strong support for the law’s health coverage tax credit subsidies (68.8 percent in favor) and the creation of statewide insurance marketplaces (75 percent in favor).

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“These findings indicate that residents of these Southern states understand the benefits of the ACA’s Medicaid expansion for their communities, and want their elected officials to carefully study the merits of the law before expressing opposition,” said Ralph B. Everett, President and CEO of the Joint Center. “I hope leaders in these states will hear the will of the people when considering this historic opportunity to ensure that more people gain health insurance coverage.”

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