The
January Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds that Americans are divided
over congressional health reform proposals, but also that large shares
of people, including skeptics, become more supportive after being told
about many of the major provisions in the bills. The poll, conducted
before the Massachusetts Senate vote, finds opinion about the
legislation is split, with 42 percent supporting the proposals, 41
percent opposing them and 16 percent withholding judgment. But
majorities reported feeling more favorable toward the legislation after
learning about key elements such as the availability of tax credits for
small businesses, the creation of health insurance exchanges, the
inability of insurers to deny people coverage because of pre-existing
conditions and the move to close the Medicare drug benefit’s “doughnut
hole.” The notable exceptions were the individual mandate and the
overall price tag, both of which tended to make people less supportive
of reform efforts.
The poll finds that even after a year of
substantial media coverage of the health reform debate, many Americans
remain unfamiliar with key elements of the major bills passed by the
House and Senate. It also finds that Americans’ views of health reform
generally track with their politics: Most Democrats (64%) support the
proposals on Capitol Hill, while an even larger majority of Republicans
(76%) oppose them. The middle ground is left to independents, with 41
percent in favor and 43 percent opposed – even as a narrow majority
(52%) backs the general idea that it is more important than ever to
take on health reform now.
The January poll is the tenth in a series designed and analyzed by the Foundation’s public opinion survey research team.
News Release
Findings (.pdf)
Chartpack (.pdf)
Toplines (.pdf)
