Confidence about the future of healthcare reform
falls along party lines. (AP photo)
Less than half of Americans believe healthcare reform will make the care more affordable or improve the quality of the care.
Those are some of the findings of a new survey released by Thomson Reuters.
The results, part of the Thomson Reuters PULSE Healthcare Survey, show that 41 percent of Americans believe healthcare reform will will improve the cost of care. Also, 35 percent believe it will improve the quality of care.
But, as a possible sign of confidence in the prospects of improving care, 63 percent of survey respondents said they were willing to pay additional taxes to fund healthcare reform.
What's not surprising is the political division on the issue:
- 72 percent of Democrats believe reform will lower healthcare costs compared with 35 percent of Independents and 12 percent of Republicans;
- 29 percent of Independents, and 8 percent of Republicans said they believed reform would improve quality.
- 78 percent of Democrats, 64 percent of Independents, and 48 percent of Republicans are willing to pay additional taxes to fund healthcare reform.
In New Hampshire, the three Democrats on Capitol Hill -- U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter and U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes -- want reform.
Republican U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg cautions that reform will create a burdensome deficit for generations to come.
The shape of reform continues to take shape on Capitol Hill with a public option for health care all but fading from consideration.
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For more information:
Thomson Reuters PULSE Healthcare Survey (pdf)
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