CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS
June 27, 2009 – 9:47 a.m.
What the Latest Polls Show on Health Care
By Ron Faucheux, CQ Guest Columnist
Harry Truman fretted that every economic adviser he consulted would tell him, “On one hand . . . but on the other hand.” He longed for a one-armed economist.
As today’s politicians look at polls on the health care issue, they face the same frustrating quandary.
On one hand, Americans believe that the health care system needs fundamental change. But on the other hand, they’re happy with the quality of their own care and don’t want medical options limited by bureaucrats.
Voters are willing to allow government to play a bigger role when it comes to cutting costs and expanding coverage. But they also fear the implications of expanded government intervention.
For example, according to a recent New York Times/CBS News poll, 72 percent of Americans support a government-run health insurance option.
But despite this expression of support, 63 percent of those surveyed said they were very or somewhat concerned that the quality of their own health care would get worse if the government sets up a program to provide health care for all Americans. Also, 68 percent were very or somewhat concerned that their own access to medical tests and treatment would be more limited under such a system.
In that same poll, 57 percent said they would be willing to pay “higher taxes so that all Americans have health insurance.” But a new Wall Street Journal/NBC survey gives us reason to believe that lurking beneath this apparent willingness to pay more taxes for health care is a mindset that can be expressed by the old adage: “Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax the fellow behind the tree.”
While 62 percent of Americans said it would be acceptable to raise taxes on people who make over $250,000 to fund a health care plan, 70 percent said it would be unacceptable to require “all people” to pay taxes on the cost of their private health insurance.
Americans are split on whether cost or coverage should be the main focus of attention. In the Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, 41 percent said it should be cost; 43 percent said coverage (and 11 percent said both).
Other polling has also shown that the escalating cost of health care, as both a policy and a political issue, is closely tied in the public mind to the fear of unreasonable lawsuits and the added medical expenses that result from unnecessary litigation.
On top of all this, mounting budget deficits increasingly trouble voters. That complicates the health care funding equation, especially if Congress wants to finance an expensive plan with borrowed money. Today, the Wall Street Journal/NBC poll found, twice as many Americans (24 percent) view the deficit as the most important economic issue than they did in December (12 percent).
When given a choice between boosting the economy “even if it means larger budget deficits,” or keeping the budget deficit down even if it delays recovery, voters put fiscal restraint (58 percent) over activism (35 percent). This is at a time when only 1 percent of Americans are very satisfied with the economy.
In a Washington Post/ABC News poll, a majority of voters give Obama good marks as president, and 53 percent say they approve of his handling of the health care issue.
But the Wall Street Journal/NBC poll found that only a third of the American public are ready to outright endorse his health care approach, while a near equal share — 32 percent — oppose his approach. Three of 10 respondents, representing the vital center, are undecided, waiting for details.
When those surveyed for that poll were provided details, support for Obama’s plan went to 55 percent. But history teaches us that any such majority can be vulnerable to coming attacks: Initially, Clinton’s ill-fated health care plan polled even stronger — before critics went to work on it.
One reason for skepticism about Obama’s approach may be the perception that it’s focused on more on coverage and not enough on cost — a reality the administration needs to reconcile as it works to piece together legislation that can make it through Congress.
Though public opinion may seem contradictory, it has its own complex logic.
The burden of rising health care costS is a central worry of most Americans, who are also concerned by a weak economy and job insecurity. After years of talk, they want something done. Voters seek the security of universal coverage — but many don’t want to pay for something that may not benefit them. Despite a desire for change, most people are happy with their own doctors and quality of care — and they don’t want to risk losing either. While many voters look to government for solutions that they doubt will ever come from the private sector’s own initiative, they also question the federal government’s capacity to do it — or anything else, for that matter — right.
In the complex debate of this big issue, polls can be used to support every side.
Ron Faucheux, Ph.D., is president of Clarus Research Group, a nonpartisan polling firm based in Washington. He also teaches at the Public Policy Institute at Georgetown University.
Comments
You can not use this poll to determine the desire of the American people for health reform. This poll you are referring to, NYT poll, disproportionately polled Obama supporters. The poll is worthless, because respondents were asked who they'd voted for in 2008, with the answer coming up as Obama 48%, McCain 25%. The poll obviously skews left. Ron Faucheux you need to be an honest journalist. Stop being a tool in Obama's pocket. You need to grow up and report news and not try and make it!
45 million Americans do not have health insurance have jobs - and the majority of them do have jobs. Individuals, families, and small business are simply being priced out of health care insurance coverage. Every day, 14,000 Americans lose their employee-based health insurance. For PPO plans purchased through an employer, the average family deductible increased 30 percent in just two years; for small businesses, deductibles increased by 64 percent. Being priced out of health care coverage is not only killing us, it's bankrupting us too. 60 percent of all bankruptcies in the United States in 2007 were driven by health care costs, yet 75% of those who declare bankruptcy for medical reasons had insurance when they got sick. The health care insurance industry stands in between you and your doctor, saying "NO." It produces nothing but skims off huge profits of over 400+% while pocketing premiums, cancelling policies, and denying claims. We can no longer afford to pay the bloated health care industry; it's time for real health care reform and a Medicare-like government option for the rest of us who are at the "mercy" of the health care insurance industry.
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