Poll results show mixed bag of optimism and 'no confidence' over health reform

As the year draws to a close and Obama’s established deadline for completing health reform looms large, the latest polls appear to indicate continued strong support for health care reform. Perhaps the most noteworthy result coming from the CBS News, CNN and ABC/ Washington Post during the period of 11/13 to 11/15 is what appears to be almost unwavering support one very key element of the reform package, the so-called “public option,” which has enjoyed demonstrably steady support in the polls (with the notable exception being, of course, the Fox News Polls) consistently remaining over 50% since the media began covering and polling health care reform in earnest in early August of this year. Why such strong support for the public option yet pessimism concerning the results? We generally distrust Congress and our government in terms of their ability to produce meaningful results or relief in times of trouble. Yet is generalized lack of trust in Congress the reason for this pessimism?

While support for the public option has remained consistently high, confidence that Congress is adequately handling the issues of rising health care costs and quality of care concerns remains abysmally low. Almost paradoxically, it would seem, the latest polls indicate that while many generally support a public option, it is not seen by the electorate as an effective means for procuring a reduction of health insurance coverage costs, or increased quality of care. Both CBS News and ABC/Washington Post’s poll show that the majority of Americans expect costs to increase or remain the same. Conversely quality of care is expected to decrease or remain the same. These results demonstrate that a key message is either not reaching or not ringing in the ears of the American public, because the Dems in Congress and their liberal media counterparts have consistently argued that the public option is the principal effective means of reducing the cost of health care by providing the only effective competition to the private insurers. Additionally, the public option is ideally supposed to deliver a viable quality care alternative should private insurers fail to cover an individual for pre-existing condition, etc. To favor the public option while rejecting its defined reasons for being clearly shows that the trust of the American public in the health care reform effort currently underway in Congress has very tight boundaries, indeed. Or maybe its just that Congress is being corralled in a very small “circle of trust.” If one were to attach a dialogue to these polling results, it might go something like this: “We don’t trust you lawmakers any farther than we can throw a crumpled up dollar bill at our doctors’ offices.”

In fact, all of the latest polls show that support for the House health care reform bill as it is currently constituted is limited at best, and is almost if not entirely contingent on party affiliation and media input source. Despite many long months of debate, media coverage, teabagging, protesting, public meetings, etc., there still appears to be no generalized faith or consensus among the American people on the shape that reform should take, or on whether or not the reform efforts will ultimately be successful. Congress certainly has its work cut out for it, if it wants to wrap and deliver health care with a red ribbon in time for Christmas.

See the latest results for health care polls at: http://www.pollingreport.com/health.html