How Framing of Income Eligibility Guidelines Affect Attitudes Towards Program Access and Burdens in Health and Health-Protective Programs

Policymakers organize and frequently communicate safety net policies, such as eligibility guidelines around administrative categories. The potential effects on how these thresholds are communicated remain empirically unexplored. We examined if communication either in terms of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL)- or dollar-form alters preferences around program eligibility and administrative burdens in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid. We fielded a survey that (N = 4157), which included a pre-registered survey experiment with racially/ethnically identifiable names for potential beneficiaries. We found that individuals whose cases are presented in terms of the FPL are less likely to enjoy public support for Medicaid benefits. The results did not hold for evaluations of SNAP or for evaluations of work requirements. We found no differences based on the race or ethnicity presented in the vignettes, but identified consistent differences based on partisanship, ideology, and knowledge of the disparate effects of burdens. Differences in the framing of eligibility limits may affect public attitudes. Future research should further explore the nuances of this initial study.