Putting the public's money where its mouth is.

This paper reports the results of a 2009 national survey that quantifies Americans' willingness to pay to expand health insurance coverage. We asked respondents whether they would support a Medicaid expansion, a subsidy for low-income people, or a subsidy for the chronically ill, if they had to pay more income taxes to cover the program's costs. Based on respondents' reported income, we told them approximately how much, in dollar terms, their tax increases would be. Our results reflect a tension in public opinion recognized by previous investigators: a desire for reform but limited willingness to pay for it.