A new poll about Medicare for All should make you think twice before trusting polls on Medicare for All.

Yes, that sounds a little weird. But its the biggest takeaway from the new survey, one designed specifically to measure the publics understanding of how Medicare for All would actually work.

It turns out that a lot of people dont really get it.

That lack of awareness could have big implications for the debate over Medicare for All, an idea that has already figured prominently in the Democratic 2020 presidential primaries and is sure to get attention at next weeks candidate debates in Miami .

Of course, figuring out exactly what those implications are isnt easy. Its possible that, as people learn more about Medicare for All, some supporters will get skittish. Or that some skeptics will get more enthusiastic. Or both.

A lot depends on how the debate unfolds and, ultimately, whether proponents or opponents are more successful at getting their messages across to the public.

But this much is clear: Opinion about Medicare for All isnt at all fixed.

The Public Misconceptions Cut Both Ways

Medicare for All is the catchphrase for a policy proposal that would enroll all Americans into a new, government-run health insurance program.

Ever since Bernie Sanders , the independent Vermont senator, made Medicare for All a cornerstone of his 2016 presidential campaign agenda, support for the idea has become something of a litmus test for progressives. Hes running on Medicare for All again this year, and this time he has a lot more company , with nearly a dozen other Democratic presidential candidates claiming that they support the idea too.

Its safe to assume these Democratic candidates wouldnt be so openly enthusiastic about Medicare for All if surveys hadnt shown the concept to be so popular with voters in general and with Democratic voters in particular. But, according to a new telephone poll that the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation published Tuesday morning, many of those voters seem to think that Medicare for All would do things it wouldnt or, more precisely, that it wouldnt do things it would.