Poll: Public Option Way More Popular Than Senate Health Care Propsal
Here’s something that adds a bit of perspective to the Senate’s decision to compromise by dropping the public option: The new CNN poll’s internals show that the public option is more popular than the Senate health care proposal by a whopping 17 point difference.
The poll finds that only 36% favor the Senate proposal, versus 61% who oppose it.
By contrast, the poll finds that 53% favor the public option, versus 46% who oppose it.
Thirty-six percent for the Senate bill. Fifty-three percent for the public option.
It would be hard to find a clearer expression of how badly the need for a supermajority in the Senate is perverting democracy.
One other interesting tidbit: The spread between Dems and Republicans has tightened dramatically. Only 40% say the country is better off with Dems running Congress, versus 39% who pick Republicans. And Americans trust Dems over Republicans to make major changes to the health care system by only three points, 43%-41%.
Unless I’m missing something, that means the percentage of Americans who favor the public option is significantly higher than the percentage who trust Dems to handle health care or want Dems running Congress.
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Update: A commenter rightly points out that this isn’t a poll of the current Senate compromise, just of the current bill. Apologies for the error; I’ve updated to correct.
That said, the basic point remains unchanged: When this poll was conducted, on Dec. 2nd and 3rd, the contours of the current plan — a national non-profit of some kind, and no public option — were already clear. And the public option’s fate has been hanging in the balance for some time in the Senate.
Update II: In fairness to the Senate proposal, we did not know about the Medicare buy-in when this poll was conducted. That said, it’s a pretty strong statement in favor of the public option, and against the move to nix it.
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Greg, I think the problem with that is that it assumes that all of those people actually know what the public option is. We’ve seen poll after poll after poll stating that people cannot identify it by wide margins. I believe that the medicare buy in plus “same plans as congress” will probably poll considerably better. Plus, it’s easier to understand.
Chris, I understand that objection. But if you look at the question wording it describes the basic concept:
Now thinking specifically about the health insurance plans available to most Americans, would you
favor or oppose creating a public health insurance option administered by the federal government
that would compete with plans offered by private health insurance companies?
I agree about the polling of the Senate bill, though. It seems safe to assume that people are reacting to the fact that it doens’t have a public option — which emphasizes the point.
Greg – I think you have made a typo( rather significant) – isn’t it 39% of people think it would be better to have a republican controlled congress NOT as you put it 49%- please change this asap before it spreads as misinformation
whoops, fixed, thanks. was unintentional.
Oh I know- I just wanted to say I have always lived your writing!
CBS poll indicates an even boarder support for it:
http://www.twd4u.com/2009/12/health-care-reform-chronicles-thread-1.html
Now I made the typo! Loved your writing
Time to get rid of the Dinos
thanks, darcy — really appreciate that.
Unless someone can pin down Lieberputz, Snowe and Collins on the public option and not let them leave the are without directly answering how they can reconcile their differences with what their constituents want regarding the public option, these polls don’t mean a damn.
On another note…
Is the Republican strategy of comparing Obama to Bush a way to trigger a gag reflex with Democrats? If so, I think it’s working with some, specifically those who bash Obama non stop at Fluffington Post.
The reason why the Public Option is the most popular part of Health Care Reform is because people realize that without a Robust Public Option, the Private Insurance Cabal, which is allowed to collude on price fixing, will not change their price gouging ways.
A Robust Public Option is the one thing that The Insurance Cabal has fought hard to kill. They were celebrating the latest Senate proposal, because they see it as no threat to their price fixing monopoly.
A Robust Public Option would be putting a gun to their heads.
The Senate proposal would be putting a Water Pistol to their heads.
Speaking of polls….
Greg, do you know why Gallup has stopped its daily polling?
Is it trying to address its erratic polling in the last couple days with 3% swings in approval ratings which had bad timing considering Gibbs comment about it being like an bad EKG reading?
Maybe I missed a message or something from them.
Smartest liberal voice in America now streaming TV:
http://www.thomhartmann.com/thomtv-2.php
He just mentioned (again) F.D.R.’s calling out the right wing Economic Royalists that were pushing around the country back then and are back pushing around the country today….
It pains me how the Republican Wing of the Democratic Party has so corrupted the possibility of real Change.
The Republicans (with perhaps two [2] exceptions) are nothing but a Corporate-Theocratic Party with a nasty mix of militarism.
The only real conservative Republicans are the Blue Dog Dems.
The only real moderate Republicans are the “New Dem” DLC’ers.
And the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party is hamstrung by those Republicans to the detriment of just about everything….
/primal scream
News Ref.
There is a big difference between FDR and Obama. FDR did not keep on pursuing a bipartisan Chimera, that only exists in Obama’s mind.
FDR treated his implacable foes, like the enemies of progress which they were.
President Obama still thinks that all he has to do is pet them enough, and they will heel on his command.
Dear Democratic Senators*,
Please reduce the filibuster to 55.
It keeps the filibuster but creates a reasonable opportunity to get things done.
Thank you.
(* because everyone knows all the Senators read Greg’s Plum Line.-)
Senate compromise was NOT polled. That just happened 2 days ago. This poll was done a week ago and was part of a large poll that was presented last Friday.
The Insurance Cabal were celebrating the Senate Compromise. That tells me all I need to know about what a toothless kitten that senate compromise is.
“It would be hard to find a clearer expression of how badly the need for a supermajority in the Senate is perverting democracy.”
Nailed.
Ditto NR. Should be 55.
Greg, any idea as to the ideological spread on participants in this poll? As always with these stupid things it matters who they are asking.
It also matters WHY they don’t favor the compromise.
A good follow-up question would be: Would you prefer the health care reform bill reflect the ideas of the progressive Left or conservative right?
(obviously the wording would have to be different than that, but you get my drift)
“bipartisan Chimera”
Didn’t Republican Cheney shoot that in the face?
(last weeks news but I just heard about it on Hartmann’s show)
“Toxic chemicals found in a third of children’s toys: study.” (AFP) – Dec 2, 2009
“A third of the most popular children’s toys in the United States this year contain harmful chemicals including lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury, a US consumer group said Wednesday.”
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iEkdLWmmwoHWwwFK08n-mt9_RCrQ
And right wingers think this is just fine.
Right wingers poison children for profit.
Draft Dodging Deferments Dithering Dick does have his good points.
On the bad side, he went hunting for just released and dazed quail. On the good side of his ledger; it was a lawyer that he shot.
Craig Ferguson claims, that just like snails; Lawyers leave a slime trail.
Is adding in conference something the majority of Americans want still a no-go?
Maritza makes a great point:
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/republican-party/poll-public-option-way-more-popular-than-senate-health-bill/#comment-130263
This poll does NOT find that the Public Option is more popular than Senate health care compromise, because this poll was taken BEFORE the latest compromise.
Poll finds that folks do not support the Senate health care bill even though the Senate bill contains the PO that they support!
Big deal. Are they supposed to act only on what polls support.
If that is the case,then The
Republican Party should go out of business, right now.
“MN Group Finds 1 in 3 Toys Contain Toxins.”
“For example, the tests revealed a high
dose of bromine in the Learn and Groove Musical Table by Leap Frog.” … “PVC, which is labeled a
‘worst in class’ plastic because of life cycle concerns, was present in 42 percent of the tested children’s products.” … “Eighteen percent, or 119 tested toys, contained detectable lead–including the Marvel Hot Rodz toy car, the Barbie Bike Flair Accessory Kit and the Dora the Explorer Activity Tote.” … “… exposure to even a small amount of lead can slow a child’s development and cause learning and behavioral problems.”
http://kstp.com/news/stories/S1287447.shtml
And right wing Ayn Rand libertarian sociopaths believe that’s “just business” and it’s your personal responsibility to know the complicated chemical composition of the toxins in toys that predators are selling you.
Uhm, no, it’s our RIGHT to demand that OUR government prevent these right wing predators from poisoning children.
@Chris A.: “Greg, I think the problem with that is that it assumes that all of those people actually know what the public option is. We’ve seen poll after poll after poll stating that people cannot identify it by wide margins. I believe that the medicare buy in plus “same plans as congress” will probably poll considerably better. Plus, it’s easier to understand.”
Good points, particularly the point about people not understanding what the public option is. Based on the comments and articles I’ve read and interviews I’ve seen, I think that most people don’t really understand what it is, including many of the people advocating for its adoption.
fair point, Maritza, I’ve updated the post.
But I don’t think the basic point is altered.
Greg, I have the feeling you wouldn’t be crying about supermajorities if the GOP were still running the show.
Be careful what you ask for.
Also, of course people like the public option more than what’s currently being proposed. I do.
What’s currently being proposed is even worse- far more stupid than the public option.
Look at the conservative pundits, writers, commentators, etc. They are in an even bigger uproar now that the public option “compromise” has come along and appears to be an even more direct path to single payer.
it doesn’t matter that the people want a public option… the corporate-bought politicos in the house, the senate, the corporate lawyer now in the white house, and his millionaire chief of staff, were told by their masters to kill the public option and they obediently did so…
mandatory health insurance + no public option = MASSIVE $$$$$ giveaway to the insurance industry
(i.e., a massive transfer of wealth UPWARDS to the monied elite from the rest of us… you know, kind of like TARP… this is getting old… when will the sheeple wake up and do something about this? it doesn’t matter if the politicos have a D or an R after their name – they’re from the same single-party corporatocracy bought and paid for by their corporate masters…
News Reference, you really need to calm down and get a grip. You sound like a crazed lunatic. Nobody is going to take you seriously. As a proud right winger, I merely laugh when I read your histrionic drivel.
The Bush Consumer Products Safety Commissioner was a corporate apologist cover-your-a$$ lawyer. That is a fact. Children died because of Bush/Right Wing corporate agenda. Clearly. Screw you “Barry”.
Polling on this or other intricate topics like what should happen next in Afghanistan is so soft as to be useless in my opinion. The can be pushed and pulled in either direction by small changes in peoples undrstanding of the issues. Meanwhile, the media is offering ZERO help on informing the public, instead I can’t listen to the radio, watch cable news, or read wapo (your paper) without hearing about Sarah the quitter’s opinions about topics she demonstrates no knowledge of. For gods sake she is replying to VP Al Gore via Twitter, and these people are acting like 120 characters should have equal weight to decades of analysis and centuries of data. Sickening.
1. Primary problematic Dems who make the compromise necessary with progressives who come off as not corrupt and can build high personal favorables.
2. Message the **** out of Republicans=a) filibustering obstructionists in the way of popular programs like Public Option and
jobs program b) political opportunists who regardless of people’s suffering, hope things don’t improve with the Ds in power.
Yes, but IT’S NOT POPULAR WITH HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES, and they are the ones who paid for the votes to block a public option.
“1. Primary problematic Dems who make the compromise necessary with progressives who come off as not corrupt and can build high personal favorables.”
You’ve gotta be joking. Primary Dems from conservative states with liberals. That oughta work.
Joe Lieberman is THE problem at this point.
People are for a public option because they believe that it is the only way to force the private insurance companies to drive down costs. Come up with another way, acceptable to more conservative (than liberal) legislators that can be proven (not political rhetoric) to accomplish the same thing, and the public might get behind that. Otherwise, defeat of any public option will be considered a big red target on anyone who blocked its passage.
When it’s pointed out that the predatory hand of the unregulated market is poisoning children’s toys a right winger feels compelled to speak out:
“As a proud right winger, I merely laugh when I read your histrionic drivel.”
And that sums up the sickness of modern day right wing libertarianism: a callous indifference to children being poisoned by toxic toys.
Consider how that callousness follows right wing libertarian “intellectual” leader Ayn Rand’s sociopathic idolization of a child-murdering psychopath as her ideal of a “real man” (true story):
http://michaelprescott.net/hickman.htm
Maybe Obama deserves criticism… After that absurd Nobel speech I DO NOT trust him as having Americans interests in mind. He is more concerned with pursuing a futile occupation with the Quixotic goal of stopping a non state actor that ignores borders that we have to respect.
If we get a compromise reform Bill through this Congress that extends coverage to millions of people, ends the pre-existing conditions exclusions, adds full insurance portability, makes it illegal for insurers to drop patients or raise their rates just because they get sick, repeals the anti-trust exemption, allow for national programs and get the same prices congressmen and women get as well as exchanges to increase competition, then we will really have done something important.
Paul Burke
Author-Journey Home
Healthcare reform is a process. This is just another step forward, just as the enactment of Medicare was. Obama has manuevered this just fine in my opinion and we will end up with important legislation that helps Americans.
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