One topic, two polls, and two very different results.
With President Obama’s signature affixed on the health care reform bill two prominent polling organizations have become the first to track the opinions of Americans on the subject. It appears that even after Sunday night’s landmark passage the complexities being voiced by the public continue to mirror those of the bill itself.
Many on the political left were quick to celebrate the results of a new USA Today/Gallup survey that shows a plurality of Americans now believe passage of the health care bill to be a “good idea”. However when asked whether they favor the recent passage of the bill through congress a just released Bloomberg survey finds half the public in opposition. By a 49-40% margin the
Interestingly there is a strong similarity between the surveys that contradicts the widely different results between the two. Both Gallup and Bloomberg polled just over a thousand adults nationwide, meaning each gathered information from a virtually identical sample size and used the same classification of citizens. One potentially important difference comes in the time span each survey was conducted.
The
President Obama leaves the proceedings with far more positive ratings than either his fellow Democrats or the Republicans in congress, yet his numbers are, at best, similarly lukewarm. 46% of the American public feels the President did a “good” or “excellent” job in addressing the problems with the health care system over the past year. More than half however (51%) feel he did either a “fair” or “poor” job on the topic. Congressional Democrats get good marks from just 32% of the public with 63% viewing their efforts negatively. Republicans fare even worse with little more than a quarter (26%) of Americans giving them high marks for their efforts against 68% pegging them with a mediocre or failing grade on the subject.
Bloomberg backed up their findings with a series of specific questions for American adults. Despite overall rejection from the majority of the public on the passage of this specific bill through congress some 64% either “somewhat” or “strongly” agree with the idea that the government has a role in making sure all citizens have access to affordable coverage. This helps to explain the general feeling of the electorate who are overwhelmingly pro-reform, in some fashion, but mostly against the specific bill that just passed through congress. Also helping to illustrate that point are the slim majority (51%) of Americans polled who believe in the general sentiment that it would be more costly to do nothing about health care than creating a plan to overhaul it. Nearly eight in ten (80%) meanwhile disagree with the concept that health care is currently fine the way it is.
Asking other questions the Bloomberg poll reveals that 60% of the public considers health care a largely private matter that should be taken care of by the specific individual. Grasping the complexities of the subject is also viewed as difficult for most. A whopping 75%, including 49% who strongly agree, think that health care is too complicated a subject and the current proposals were too difficult to understand for most. Modestly more adults (48%) think health care reform will help others more than themselves (43%). By a margin of 53-42% most believe current reform measures add up to a government takeover. Furthermore most Americans approve of immediate action on health care but they do so by a fairly modest 51-47% margin over those who’d prefer to focus on other issues first.
Comments
Although this Health Care bill does sound all fine and dandy; however who pays for it? The working people of this Nation. We will be paying for illegal immigrants and other leaches off the governments many benefits. The money for this bill will come out of our pay checks. In conclusion we will be paying for insurance not only for ourselves but for the leaches as well who don't work and take what ever they can get from the government.
It's easy to talk that big talk until you lose your job, or your family is filing bankruptcy due to overwhelming medical expenses. Some people have the capacity of empathy for others without having to go through the same experience themselves, and others simply don't.
I would like to thank Speaker Pelosi, President Obama, and all the brave men and women in congress who voted yes on this historic legislation. They did the right thing knowing that it would put their jobs on the line. They are truly selfless heroes who will go down in history as the great people that they are. David Maddocks: You have been watching too much FOX News or talk radio. They are owned by big corporations who are biased against anything that will effect the bottom line of wealthy indiviuals and corporations. They use their pulpit to try to sway public opinion. The bill will not provide health insurance for illegals, although it would save us money if they were allowed to buy in. This legistation will save us money because everyone will buy insurance if they can afford it, including the young and healthy which will lower premiums for all of us. It puts the consumer in the drivers seat instead of the insurance companies. And provides consumer protections.
I am 1000% in favor of the new health care bill. It's not perfect but it's a great start.
Socialist Medicine, I am on Medicare and Medicade so most seniors are part of the socialist system. Maybe if the insurance companies and hospitals were not so greedy we could get top rate health care at reasonable prices
I had always taken health care coverage for granted...that was until we lost our medical coverage the day my husband lost his job because of downsizing one year ago. We can't get coverage because my 53 year old husband has had cancer, twice. NO health carrier will cover us. It sadden's me that he has worked his whole life to lose his job and health coverage. Life for us now is like living on a tightrope, when will we fall off?
As a Canadian living in Texas, I am puzzled about why so many people are against universal health care. True the Bill (HR4872) only reforms the health care system, but why wouldn't Americans want to ensure that health care is a right, rather than the privilege it currently is? I recall a statistic where 50% of the bankruptcies in the country are due to medical bills, and of those, 75% had insurance before bankruptcy (verify that for yourselves BTW, don't take my word for it). I am currently reading through the HR4872, and have read through the CBO projection of the impact on the budget deficit(s) to inform myself of exactly what this reform is and what impact it will have, so that any opinions I have on the topic will be from first hand knowledge rather than second or third hand (re. Fox, NPR, etc...). I would encourage Americans to take a more active part in at least reading the laws of your land so your opinions of it are informed by reason rather than toeing a political line.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!