Support for real health care reform, but not single payer, seems very strong by this poll:

[Stinky The Clown]

....... although, to be fair, this poll shows a majority, but less than 50% favor it.

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll

Kaiser Family Foundation
April 2-8, 2009

7. Now I’m going to read you some different ways to increase the number of Americans covered by health insurance. As I read each one, please tell me whether you would favor it or oppose it. Here’s the (first/next) one — (INSERT AND RANDOMIZE- ALWAYS ASK ITEMS d AND h LAST). Do you favor or oppose this? (Is that strongly favor/oppose or somewhat favor/oppose?)

Items b-d based on half sample (n=616)
Items e-h based on half sample (n=587)

a. Requiring employers to offer health insurance to their workers or pay money into a government fund that will pay to cover those without insurance
71% favor
25% oppose

b. Offering tax credits to help people buy private health insurance
67% favor
29% oppose

c. Expanding Medicare to cover people between the ages of 55 and 64 who do not have health
insurance
79% favor
18% oppose

d. Creating a government-administered public health insurance option similar to Medicare to compete with private health insurance plans
67% favor
29% oppose

e. Expanding state government programs for low-income people, such as Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program
77% favor
20% oppose

f. Requiring all Americans to have health insurance, either from their employer or from another source, with financial help for those who can’t afford it
72% favor
25% oppose

g. Having a national health plan in which all Americans would get their insurance from a single government plan
49% favor
47% oppose

h. Creating a public health insurance option similar to Medicare to compete with private health insurance plans
67% favor
29% oppose

http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/upload/7892.pdf


link: http://www.pnhp.org/blog/2009/06/08/kaiser-health-tracking-poll/

I'm a single payer suporter, but this shows me opinion is changing fast.

[Michigander4Dean]

1. More reason for Obama to push single-payer

It's the right thing to do, AND there are at least as many people supporting it as opposing it. Controversial, sure, but it's doing the right thing so of course there's gonna be backlash.

He's got political capital to spend, so why the hell won't he?

[DonCoquixote]

4. Political Capital

Therein lies the problem. Like our economy, Obama on paper has a lot of political capital, but he actually has very little. The problem is the same one we have always had for the past 20 years; we have a lot of Congressman who know that the only way they can lose office is to (to quote a Louisiana phrase) "be caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy." We have the DLC wing which comprises a lot of congress, and that is willing to be the last defense of the left (such a Landrieu, Nelson, Baucus, etc.)

Not that this excuses Obama. Obama's problem is that he tries to engage in fencing matches, while his opponents are bringing nukes. Yes, it is one thing to say "well, I have to abide by the DOJ, or else i am just using it as a tool the way Bush did." Yes, that is true, but frankly, Bush treated the constitution like a piece of paper, and it will take a strong tilt to the left before we can get back to level again. Obama is trying to be the president we really could have used before Bush came into power, but not now.

[madrchsod]

2. the majority of americans favor a form of a public insurance plan

employers would dump private insurance plans in favor of contributing to taxes or providing supplemental insurance to cover what a public payer system would`t cover.

yes- why is obama not listening to the people?

[DURHAM D]

3. The following is not a legitimate question:

g. Having a national health plan in which all Americans would get their insurance from a single government plan.

"get their insurance" What does that mean. Single payer is not an "insurance" plan.

The "question" is pushing for a certain result. F**k this poll.

Is the Kaiser Foundation a medical insurance company or health care provider?

[Oregone]

5. Single-Payer is insurance

[DURHAM D]

6. Would you call Medicare insurance? nt

[Oregone]

7. Yes

[DURHAM D]

8. Its not.

Are you Canadian?

[Oregone]

9. I'm ex-patian

:)

I have single-payer medicare coverage in Canada. It is insurance. You pay into a shared risk pool and are "reimbursed" in case of loss.

Yes, it may not be setup like private insurance (no copay/no deductibles), but it is by all means insurance by definition.

[DURHAM D]

10. You are "reimbursed"?

[Oregone]

11. Well...

The money is disbursed near immediately (so it doesn't come out of pocket), unless I did not have my card on me or I was out of country (then it is reimbursed). Many private insurance companies use the same model. I was sticking to the language of the definition of insurance. I think you would have a tough time trying to explain exactly why single-payer is not insurance.

"Health Insurance BC is the new name for the administrative operations of the Medical Services Plan and PharmaCare, including Fair PharmaCare" <- From my insurers website. Funny name to pick for something that isn't insurance. :)

[John Q. Citizen]

18. Medicare is health insurance . What would you call it?

[Stinky The Clown]

12. Single payer *is* an insurance plan

You pay in through your taxes instead of a premium, but that's about it.

[avaistheone1]

17. I agree Medicare is an insurance.

[clear eye]

20. Kaiser Permanente is an HMO & Medigap insurer

w/ a crappy track record. https://www.kaiserpermanente.org/ The questionnaire is misleadingly worded to suggest that single-payer would work like an HMO (a "single government plan") that would limit choice of doctors to those w/i the "plan". They may have cherrypicked their sample for people happy w/ a Kaiser plan.

I don't think this survey is anything close to reliable, and I think single-payer advocates should restrict themselves to posting surveys and polls from less biased sources, for the sake of accuracy. No sense discouraging everyone w/ skewed results.

Edited to add: We don't even know if the respondents were a sample of the general public or only of those getting employer-paid Kaiser insurance, which would automatically exclude people who Kaiser ditched, or who lost their insurance when they became too sick to work.

[slipslidingaway]

13. 49% favor a single government plan according to this poll...

g. Having a national health plan in which all Americans would get their insurance from a single government plan

49% favor
47% oppose

Of course that plan cannot be discussed.

:(

[Stinky The Clown]

14. A recent Rassmussen poll showed 42 for and 41 against

I can't find the poll right now, but even on a right-biased poll, more favor it than oppose it.

[slipslidingaway]

15. Thanks and considering single-payer HC has been excluded

from much of the debate these are pretty stong numbers.

At least strong enough to be allowed into the discussions.

:)

Thanks for posting.


Posted your link in the SPHC forum...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=411

[slipslidingaway]

16. Posted this survey in GDP with a different title...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8474619&mesg_id=8474619

[clear eye]

19. Notice the wording of the questions.

All the other options ask about health insurance or about expanding well-known gov't coverage plans, while the question on single payer asks about "a national health plan" leading to possible confusion over whether the health delivery system will also be gov't-run as well as the ocverage. Make no mistake; that is not an accident. This is also the tack Obama is taking--see my OP about his remarks to the AMA.

One also wonders how this health insurance company chose their sample. Did they first ask if the potential respondent was happy w/ Kaiser's coverage, then only phone or email the questionaire to those who answered yes?