Health Care Reform not popular? Think again. Kaiser Family Foundation poll shows otherwise

[JohnWxy]

a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation which asked some more detailed questions of respondents re Health Care Reform shows that a very high percentage of everyone polled are FOR the major features of HCR:

Reform the way health insurance works? "Yes" 85% Democrats, 79% Independents, 64% Republicans

Tax credits to small businesses? "Yes" 77% Democrats, 70% Independents, 67% Republicans

Create a health insurance exchange/marketplace?: "Yes" 78% Democrats, 71% Independents, 67% Republicans

Help close Medicare "Doughnut Hole"?: "Yes" 78% Democrats, 70% Independents, 66% Republicans

Expand high risk insurance pools? "Yes" 79% 67% 61%

Provide financial help for low & middle income people? "Yes" 88% 67% 48% ....well, 5 out of 6 ain't bad.

chart:


chart:


As Democratic and GOP lawmakers prepare for the upcoming health reform summit, the February Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds that at least six of every ten Republicans, Democrats and independents back at least some of the key provisions in the reform bills that have passed the House and Senate.

They include measures that would:

reform the way health insurance works, such as preventing insurers from excluding people because of pre-existing conditions;

offer tax credits to small businesses to help their workers get coverage; create a new health insurance marketplace;

help close the Medicare “doughnut hole” so that seniors would no longer face a period of having to pay the full cost of their medicines;

and expand high-risk insurance pools for individuals who cannot get coverage elsewhere.

Providing subsidies to lower and middle income people also received strong support from Democrats and independents and near majority support from Republicans.



article:

http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/posr022310nr.cfm

[dtotire]

1. The Public Wants Health Reform

If Congress does not come up with a credible bill, they just aren't doing their job.

[eridani]

2. Nothing said about excise taxes or the public option

The former is unpopular, the latter very popular.

[JohnWxy]

3. Wellpoint Raising Rates by Double Digits in at Least 11 States: avg 23% increase

they didn't ask them how they would feel about a 39% increase (or a 23% increase) this year either. ANy guesses as to how popular that would be?

At an annual increase of 15% in ten years your premiums will be 400% of what they are now, that is if you will still be able to afford your insurance by then. The average family policy now costs about $13,000 a year. That would put that same policy in ten years at about $52,000. :-)

Now, if insurance only grew at the rate it did over the last 10 years it would just double in ten more years reaching $26,000 a year.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x520293|Wellpoint Raising Rates by Double Digits in at Least 11 States: avg 23% increase>


Personally, my advice to Obama would be take your time with this Health Care reform and let this years increases hit people. I think this would help bring home the message that this is a problem that has to be dealt with. (for those who think it doesn't need to be addressed. I don't think too many people who have insurance and who have seen their premiums double in the last 10 years (while median household income went down) really have to be convinced of that though.)

[eridani]

5. Obama is not planning to do anything about the increases other than to

--make up a list of very naughty boys and girls, AFAIK.

[JohnWxy]

6. Unfortunately, you are wrong. Obama is taking steps to pressure insurers to limit

their rate increases. IN MY OPINION, he should NOT do this. Let people get 39% increases, etc. (23% on average for 11 states). ONce people start to see that they will soon not be able to AFFORD health insurance, then they may start to realize this IS a problem and that it must be addressed. Wellpoint Raising Rates by Double Digits in at Least 11 States: avg 23% increase

I think the best way to convince people this is an urgent problem that needs to be dealt with is to let them lose their insurance by the millions and suddenly they will "get it."

PRES. OBAMA, NOOOOOO! DAMMIT, YOU KEEP THE GOVERNMENT OUTA MY HEALTH CARE!!!

[eridani]

7. "Pressure" is not a law mandating that a federal agency set rates

Nothing else will work.

[applegrove]

4. HCR just has to happen. America cannot afford not to do it right now.