This brief uses data from the September 2019 round of the Health Reform Monitoring Survey to examine preferences between a public option for health insurance and Medicare for All among nonelderly adults, and compares preferences by political party affiliation, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, health insurance coverage, health care experiences, and satisfaction with coverage.  We find the following:

• Among adults ages 18 to 64, more than half (51.6 percent) support either a public option or Medicare for All, with more preferring a public option. Nearly one-quarter are neutral toward both approaches.
• Though Democrats are more likely to prefer a public option to Medicare for All, most support or are neutral toward each approach. Among Republicans, opposition to Medicare for All is much stronger than opposition to a public option.
• Adults who are young, are Hispanic, have low educational attainment and income, and who do not have private insurance are more likely to prefer Medicare for All than adults without those characteristics. Problems affording care and dissatisfaction with current coverage also increase the likelihood of preferring Medicare for All.