Health Care Reform
Although House Passes Health Care, Most Voters Still Oppose the Legislation
Over the weekend, Democratic leaders spoke of an historic moment as health care reform legislation passed the House of Representatives. But that legislative victory failed to significantly move public opinion.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 45% now favor the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. Most (52%) remain opposed.
Only 25% Strongly Support the plan while 42% are Strongly Opposed.
Support for the plan has remained essentially unchanged for months. Last week, it was supported by 42% and two weeks ago support was at 45%. It has generally stayed between 41% and 46% since July, and support has bounced above that level only in the wake of nationally televised appeals by the president.
As has been the case for months, Democrats favor the plan while Republicans and voters not affiliated with either major party are opposed. The latest numbers show support from 81% of those in the president’s party. The plan is opposed by 90% of Republicans and 58% of unaffiliated voters.
Rasmussen Reports continues to track public opinion on the health care plan on a weekly basis.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
Fifty-two percent (52%) of voters now say passage of the legislation will increase health care costs while 53% say it will hurt the quality of care.
Still, 56% now say the reform plan is at least somewhat likely to become law. That figure includes 20% who say passage is Very Likely. The debate now moves to the Senate where a different version of the legislation is expected to emerge.
Roughly half the interviews for the current survey were completed before Saturday’s House vote on the health care bill. However, there was not a significant difference in polling before or after the vote.
Over the weekend, the abortion issue divided Democrats and created challenges for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Earlier polling showed that 48% nationwide favored the abortion ban but most supporters of health care reform didn’t want to address the issue. Just 13% of all voters wanted abortion coverage mandated in the legislation.
Another issue that arose during the debate was immigration. Eighty-three percent (83%) of voters say that proof of citizenship should be required before anyone can get health care assistance from a government program.
Voters also favor competition and 65% would like to remove the existing anti-trust exemption for health insurance companies. Two-thirds (66%) say an increase in free market competition will do more than government regulation to reduce health care costs.
While voters are skeptical of the plan working its way through Congress, 54% say major changes are needed in the health care system. Sixty-one percent (61%) say it’s important for Congress to pass some reform.
But most fear that the plan might encourage companies to drop coverage for employees and shift their workers on to the government health care plan. A plurality of Democrats believe this would be good for workers, but most Republicans and unaffiliated voters disagree.
As Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, wrote recently in the Wall Street Journal:
Health care reform remains the top priority for Democratic voters. However, it ranks fourth on a list of four among Republicans and unaffiliated voters. Overall, 38% of voters see deficit reduction as most important among the four priorities listed by the president earlier this year, while 23% cite health care reform as tops.
“The most important fundamental is that 68% of American voters have health insurance coverage they rate good or excellent. … Most of these voters approach the health care reform debate fearing that they have more to lose than to gain.”
Health care reform remains the top priority for Democratic voters. However, it ranks fourth on a list of four among Republicans and unaffiliated voters. Overall, 38% of voters see deficit reduction as most important among the four priorities listed by the president earlier this year, while 23% cite health care reform as tops.
Polling on the health care topic by many firms has created some confusion. In particular, polls on the “public option” show a wide variety of results. A recent poll in The Washington Post found that 57% support a government-run health insurance company to compete with private insurers, but Rasmussen Reports polling shows that support is very soft. In fact, people are strongly opposed to a public option if they think it could lead employers to drop the existing coverage they provide employees. The fact that results are so subject to change based upon minor differences in question wording suggests that voters do not have firm opinions on the public option.
Virtually all polling shows a plurality or majority opposed to the current plan in Congress. The poll in The Washington Post found just 45% support for the congressional plan among all adults. Additionally, support for the current plan has remained stable
suggesting that public opinion is firmly established at this time.
Other recent polling shows that 49% would rather see no health care legislation passed this year than see the current bill become law. Two-thirds (66%) say an increase in competition is more likely than increased government regulation to reduce the cost of health care. That’s one reason there is strong support for removing the exemption from anti-trust laws currently enjoyed by insurance companies.
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