As congressional Republicans weigh major cuts to Medicaid, most voters do not want to see the public health plan’s funding dialed back, according to a poll released Friday by KFF, a nonpartisan health research firm.

Just 17% of respondents said they supported cuts to Medicaid, the government health insurance program that covers more than 70 million people; 40% said they wanted to keep spending unchanged, and 42% said they would like it increased.

But at the same time, the poll found significant support for certain policies that would limit the program, such as requiring enrollees to work. More than 60% of voters — and 47% of Democrats — supported a work requirement, the poll found.

That change, which has been championed by some congressional Republicans, is estimated to cut about $100 billion from Medicaid, as those who were unemployed — or could not file the paperwork showing they had a job — would no longer be covered. The program’s cost was $584 billion in 2024, or about 8% of total federal spending.

The poll also illustrated Medicaid’s wide reach, with slightly more than half of respondents saying they or a family member had at one point had Medicaid coverage. There was nearly universal agreement that Medicaid mattered to voters’ local communities, with 98% of Democrats and 94% of Republicans saying they thought it was somewhat or very important.

Republicans in Congress are considering several changes to Medicaid as they look for ways to pay for President Donald Trump’s tax cuts. Last month, the House passed a budget that, if approved by the Senate and signed by the president, could trim as much as $880 billion from the program over the next decade. That could happen with work requirements, caps on federal spending for the program, or reducing the share of costs the federal government pays.

Although poll respondents generally supported work requirements, they held misconceptions about the policy: 62% of voters thought that most Medicaid enrollees are unemployed, when in fact, a vast majority have jobs.

Republican voters also expressed an openness to cutting funding for the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion. Right now, the federal government pays 90% of the costs for participants in the expansion, who tend to be healthy adults. That is a higher share than what it covers for other enrollees, such as children or disabled people.

Some 64% of Republican voters — and 40% of voters overall — said they would support reducing the federal government’s contribution to Medicaid expansion. House Republicans continue to weigh this option, even though Speaker Mike Johnson said last week it was not on the table.

When respondents were given more information about the policy, including the fact that millions could lose coverage, Republican support fell to 43%. But being told that the change would cut federal spending by about $600 billion increased support to 73%.