The Debate Over Federal Medicaid Cuts: Perspectives of Medicaid Enrollees Who Voted for President Trump and Vice President Harris

For this project, five focus groups were conducted in January 2025 virtually among a total of 34 adults who self-identified as having Medicaid coverage. Participants all resided in Medicaid-expansion states that went to Trump in the 2024 election (including Arizona, Kentucky, Nevada, North Carolina, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania). Groups were stratified by voting history, with three groups being conducted among those who had voted for President Trump in the 2024 election and two groups being conducted among those who had voted for Vice President Harris.

For each group, participants were chosen based on the following criteria: must be between 18 and 65 years of age, must self-identify as currently being enrolled in Medicaid, and must have voted in the most previous election for Trump or Harris. All participants had used their Medicaid coverage in some way in the past 12-months (e.g., doctor visit, filling a prescription). Participants included a mix of adults by gender, race/ethnicity, age, length of time enrolled on Medicaid, health status, disability status, and work and family status.

KFF worked with PerryUndem Research/Communication to conduct the focus groups. The screener questionnaire and discussion guides were developed by researchers at KFF in consultation with PerryUndem. Groups lasted between 90 minutes and two hours and were conducted in English with 6-8 participants each. Groups were audio and video recorded with participants’ permission. Each participant was given an incentive of $150 after participating. Individuals who were able to participate in our groups needed to have two hours of time, a quiet space, a computer, and internet. These characteristics alone may not fully represent many Medicaid enrollees, so findings may not be generalizable to the entire Medicaid population.