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February 23, 2010
By Scott Hensley
What do Americans want from Washington on health overhaul?
Opinion is evenly split on overhaul legislation, with 43 percent of Americans in favor of passage and 43 percent opposed, according to the latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll.
But ask people about specifics, and the picture changes quite a bit. More than two-thirds of people favor important planks in the administration's overhaul plan.
Oh, really? What do they like?
Ask people how important reforming the way health insurance works is, and 76 percent say it's "extremely" or "very important." Even a majority of Republicans--64 percent--see things that way.
Other planks that do well: providing insurance tax credits for small businesses, closing the Medicare "doughnut hole" for prescription drugs and creating insurance marketplaces for the purchase of individual plans.
A majority of Americans blame the politicians for the lack of action. Some 59 percent say the delays are a result of both parties "playing politics," Kaiser says. And in an ominous sign ahead of mid-term elections, almost three in five of the people polled said they would be either disappointed or angry if nothing gets done.
Who knows if those findings will have any effect on the legislators convening Thursday for President Obama's health summit. Results of other polls rounded up by the Washington Post have been showing for a while that Americans like some of the particulars of contained in the administration's proposal, even if by some measures the nation remains split on the passage of legislation that would make them a reality.
As Democratic and Republican legislators prepare for the upcoming summit on health care, Kaiser’s February Health Tracking Poll shows that a frustrated public also remains divided by partisanship when it comes to existing legislative proposals, but that there remain a number of individual provisions of the health reform legislation that are popular across party lines.
Americans have mixed views of how quickly and how comprehensively to move on reform, but relatively few hope the matter is dropped altogether.
Overall, more Americans say they will be either disappointed or angry if Congress decides to stop working on health care reform than say they will feel happy or relieved. The survey also suggests that the public stands ready to blame both parties about equally for any result that displeases them.
The one thing that Americans of all partisan stripes seem to agree on is that the delays in passing health care reform are more about “both sides playing politics” than about actual policy disagreements. Overall, roughly six in ten people held this view of the roadblocks to passage, including a majority of Democrats, Republicans and political independents.
1. Insurance reform (ie, guaranteed issue, eliminating lifetime
benefit caps)
2. Tax credits to small businesses
3. Health insurance exchanges
4. Helping close the Medicare doughnut hole
5. Expanding high risk insurance pools
Originally posted by anon72
Again with this. LISTEN/READ
It isn't that folks are agaisnt Health Reform. They are against the way the Dems went and are still going about it.
(without getting into all the details)..
Until they start talking Tort reform and proper payments plans, this is dead. And, I dare say, if the Dems keep this up and jam it down our throats, it will be the end for the Dem party. Mark my words
This poll is accurate...and if nothing gets done on healthcare reform it will be the end of not just the Dems...but also the GOP...and also the middle class as insurance and pharmaceutical companies continue to jack up prices beyond any measure of decency.
Originally posted by Mr Sunchine
How does what you just said make even one shred of sense. If you strip it out of medicare and medicaid those people still have to be covered by something under this new law so it is not like you are saving money you are just moving it around in a big shell game.
In the last year, the industry has raised the wholesale prices of brand-name prescription drugs by about 9 percent, according to industry analysts. That will add more than $10 billion to the nation’s drug bill, which is on track to exceed $300 billion this year. By at least one analysis, it is the highest annual rate of inflation for drug prices since 1992.
Originally posted by pumpkinorange
reply to post by maybereal11
I disagree that broad support for "something" means anything significant.
1. Everyone has in mind what they do not like...that is what they are thinking of when the question is asked.
1. Insurance reform (ie, guaranteed issue, eliminating lifetime
benefit caps)
2. Tax credits to small businesses
3. Health insurance exchanges
4. Helping close the Medicare doughnut hole
5. Expanding high risk insurance pools