According to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), this is the week to ram massive health care reforms through the House of Representatives and hand the problem over to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada). Waiting in the wings is President Obama at the ready to twist arms and sweeten the pot for those willing to vote for the trillion dollar "Obamacare!"
Just a doggone minute, folks! That isn't what the majority of Americans want according to the latest poll by Rasmussen.
Really, nothing has changed. The numbers are virtually unchanged from last week and are consistent with findings in regular tracking going back to just after Thanksgiving. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 43 percent favor the health care plan proposed by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats, while 53 percent oppose it. Those findings include 23 percent who “strongly favor” the plan and 46 percent who “strongly oppose” it.
As you might imagine Democrats continue to overwhelmingly support the plan, while Republicans and voters not affiliated with either party strongly oppose it.
The key concern according to Rasmussen: "Opposition continues to stem in part from unchanging views that the plan will drive up the cost and worsen the quality of health care in America. Fifty-seven percent of voters also believe the health care reform plan now working its way through Congress will hurt the U.S. economy."
Here are three other key findings the President, Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid need to keep in mind:
- Despite the plan’s stated goal of reducing health care costs, 55 percent of voters believe the cost of health care will go up if the Democrats’ plan becomes law. Just 18 percent say it will make costs go down. Twenty percent predict costs will stay about the same.
- Similarly, just 24 percent of voters think the quality of health care will be better if the plan is passed. Fifty-two percent say quality will get worse, and another 19 percent say it will stay the same.
- Seventy-six percent of those with insurance now rate their own coverage as good or excellent. The fact that most Americans are comfortable with their own insurance coverage has proven to be a major obstacle for advocates of reform. Overall, 44 percent of voters rate the U.S. health care system as good or excellent.
Don C. Brunell, President (DonB@awb.org)
