Poll: GOP-backed Medicare proposals remain unpopular
With Medicare taking front and center in the presidential race in recent days, a new Pew Research Center poll released Tuesday indicates that GOP proposals to privatize the system remain unpopular among the general public.
According to the survey, 72% of American adults have heard either a lot or a little about a voucher-like program that would give seniors credit to purchase their own health care coverage–a proposal similar to that pushed by Paul Ryan, the House Budget Committee chairman and now-running mate for Mitt Romney.
Of those who have heard of the idea, 49% oppose such a change, while 34% favor the entitlement reform. Pew states that the margin is "virtually unchanged from public reactions a little over a year ago," when House Republicans voted on a similar measure as part of the so-called Ryan budget plan. The bill, however, did not pass the Democratic-controlled Senate.
The survey also finds that while Americans place the need to reduce the deficit as a top priority, most would not favor entitlement cuts as a way of balancing the budget. Asked which was more important, 51% of respondents said maintaining current Social Security and Medicare benefits, while 33% said taking steps to reduce the deficit. Eleven percent said the two were equally important.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/21/poll-gop-backed-medicare-proposals-remain-unpopular/