Interesting health reform data from theWaPo this am, reflecting the constant of public opinion true since the Clinton years: people like what they have and are worried about change. Despite that, pepole support a public option and want change. Those who want change don't care whether the insurance industry takes a hit, but the majority of the country doesn't want traditional insurance to go out of business.
A majority of Americans see government action as critical to controlling runaway health-care costs, but there is broad public anxiety about the potential impact of reform legislation and conflicting views about the types of fixes being proposed on Capitol Hill, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
In a revealing set of questions:
- Would you support or oppose having the government create a new health insurance plan to compete with private health insurance plans? (IF SUPPORT) Would you rather have that plan run by a government agency, or run by an independent organization with government funding and oversight?
----------- Support ------------
NET Gov't agency Indep. org. Oppose No opinion
6/21/09 62 21 41 33 5
21a. (IF SUPPORT) What if having the government create a new health insurance plan made many private health insurers go out of business because they could not compete? In that case would you support or oppose creating a government-run health insurance plan?
Support Oppose No opinion
6/21/09 56 41 3
and together (21/21a NET):
------- Oppose --------
Support NET At first Now do No opinion
6/21/09 37 58 33 25 5
Poll after poll supports a public option. And two more questions summarize where the public is at, at least now:
- Just your best guess, if the health care system is changed, do you think the quality of your health care will get (better), get (worse), or remain about the same?
Better Worse Same No opinion
6/21/09 16 31 50 3
- Which comes closer to the way you feel: government reform of the nation's health care system (is necessary to control costs and expand coverage), or government action on health care (will do more harm than good)? Do you feel that way strongly or somewhat?
------- Necessary ------- -- More harm than good --
NET Strongly Somewhat NET Somewhat Strongly No opinion
6/21/09 58 34 23 39 15 24 3
The key number is 31% who see that "change" = worse. Keep it that low, and change passes.
Niow, here's a group you'll never win over:
In the poll, 58 percent said they see government reform as necessary to stall skyrocketing costs and expand coverage for the uninsured, while 39 percent said they fear any federal action would do more harm than good. The numbers split sharply along partisan and ideological lines: Ninety-two percent of liberal Democrats said they see government intervention as essential, compared with 19 percent of conservative Republicans.
As Ezra asked the other day:
Which raises an interesting, and potentially clarifying, question: Are Republicans in this to preserve the healthy functioning of a competitive private market or preserve the profits of the currently dominant insurance companies?"
Actually, they are there to make sure Democrats don't get health reform passed. But that's not where the public is at, hence the low ratings for Republicans with the public.