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More Wary of Obama on Health Care
 Wednesday, September 2, 2009As the president's poll numbers sink on the issue, two-thirds of Americans remain confused about the health reform proposals on the table. Meanwhile, Mr. Obama's overall approval (56 percent) and handling of the economy (53 percent) are not much changed from last month. (Read more here.) Americans are not only skeptical of Mr. Obama's handling of health care, but also of the effectiveness of reform. Americans are more apt to say the middle class and small business would be hurt, not helped, by the plans currently under consideration. Select Here -- Fax Congress, Tell Them to REJECT Obamacare! Still, the public continues to say the health care system does need reform, and that things will worsen if nothing is done. Americans strongly support government regulations on insurance companies, including cost controls and mandates for covering all applicants. Anger and Skepticism As angry protests erupted over health care at town hall meetings over the month of August, Americans in general became angrier on the issue. One-third call themselves dissatisfied with the way the Obama administration is handling health care, and another 17 percent describe themselves as angry about it. Thirty-four percent are satisfied, and just 11 percent are enthusiastic. Who is most angry? Conservatives (33 percent), Republicans (36 percent) and Americans age 65 and over (21 percent) are some of the most likely to say they are angry about the Obama administration's approach to health care reform. Meanwhile, in the president's own party, Democrats are more likely to be satisfied (55 percent) than to be enthusiastic (21 percent). The bulk of the public does not think current reform proposals would help them. Forty-six percent say they'd have no effect on them personally and another 31 percent thinks they'd hurt. Just one in five thinks they would help. Nor do Americans think other groups in society would benefit from reform. More think the current reform proposals would hurt rather than help the middle class (the class most Americans say they’re part of), seniors, and a key part of the U.S. economy, small businesses. Specifically, Americans predict Congress' reform plans will cause costs to go up, quality of care to get worse, and the availability of doctors to decline. No more than one in five think Congress' current plans would make any of those areas better. And there are also concerns about the financial impact of reform. While about half of Americans still feel reform is possible without increasing the deficit or raising middle-class taxes, more than four in 10 think that is not possible. No Specific Complaints or Preferences Despite the heated rhetoric from both sides of the aisle that has occurred over the last month, many Americans cannot volunteer anything they especially like or dislike about the proposals. Asked if there's anything they like, 40 percent cannot name anything, the most-cited response; the second-most at 27 percent is that coverage would expand. At the same time, many Americans cannot name something they especially dislike about reform. The most common specific answer, at 12 percent, is the threat of too much government. Most Americans have heard or read something about the protestors who have attended recent town hall meetings concerning health care reform. Among those who have heard about them, nearly half (49 percent) say the protestors do not reflect the views of most Americans, but 41 percent say they do. Republicans (66 percent) think the protestors reflect the opinions of Americans as a whole, while Democrats do not (73 percent). Original Article |
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