More Support Health Care Reform When They Understand What Is In Bill

Numerous other polls have demonstrated what Newsweek found. A majority supports the health care reform proposals. They just oppose the distorted version of it being spread by Republicans:

As Democrats struggle to salvage health-care-reform legislation, a new NEWSWEEK Poll shows that while a majority of Americans say they oppose Obama’s plan, a majority actually support the key features of the legislation. The findings support the notion that Democrats have not done a good job of selling the package and that opponents have been successful in framing the debate. The more people know about the legislation, the more likely they are to support major components of it.

When asked about Obama’s plan (without being given any details about what the legislation includes), 49 percent opposed it and 40 percent were in favor. But after hearing key features of the legislation described, 48 percent supported the plan and 43 percent remained opposed.

The NEWSWEEK Poll asked respondents about eight health-care-reform provisions that Obama and many Democrats in Congress have generally supported. It found that the majority of Americans supported five of those provisions, three by particularly large margins. Eighty-one percent agreed with the creation of a new insurance marketplace, the exchange, for individual subscribers to compare plans and buy insurance at a competitive rate. Seventy-six percent thought health insurers should be required to cover anyone who applies, including those with preexisting conditions; and 75 percent agreed with requiring most businesses to offer health insurance to their employees, with incentives for small-business owners to do so.

Not all Democrat positions received such high marks. Imposing a fine on individuals who do not buy health insurance was the least popular provision, supported by only 28 percent and opposed by 62 percent. Fifty-five percent opposed the so-called Cadillac tax on the most expensive health-insurance plans.

Other polls have showed that when reasons for opposing health care reform are considered, a substantial number of those opposing the current health care reform proposals do so because they believe it does not go far enough.

22 Comments

  1. 1
    Brett Robinson says:

    RT @ronchusid Another Poll Shows More Support #HCR When They Understand What Is In Bill http://bit.ly/a8Ni36 #obama #p2 #topprog #healthcare

  2. 2
    Linda Dapper says:

    More Support HCR When They Understand What Is In Bill http://tinyurl.com/ydqlf45 ||how do we spread the word? #HCR needs your voice

  3. 3
    Winter Thur says:

    RT @lmdapper: More Support HCR When They Understand What Is In Bill http://tinyurl.com/ydqlf45 ||how do we spread the word? #HCR needs your voice

  4. 4
    Stuart O'Neill says:

    RT @lmdapper: More Support HCR When They Understand What Is In Bill http://tinyurl.com/ydqlf45 ||how do we spread the word? #HCR needs your voice

  5. 5
    Earl says:

    Amazing what a bit of learning will do for people: http://bit.ly/bWLxok

  6. 6
    willymack says:

    It’s easy enough to understand HR676 if you READ it.
    That’s single-payer universal health care, which when it was contemtuously swept aside by corporate lackeys in Congress, demonstrated the frightening power of the pharma and insurance crooks.
    We need and DESERVE nothing less than HR676.

  7. 7
    Ron Chusid says:

    Actually the concept of single payer is also greatly misunderstood by many people. They confuse payment for health care with delivery of health care. Therefore they think that single payer means government run health care as opposed to meaning continuation of private medical practices with government replacing insurance companies.

  8. 8
    maryyooch says:

    Great post. Thanks for the good work.

  9. 9
    Eileen Left says:

    A lot of people oppose health care plans until they learn what's actually in the bill. http://bit.ly/bWLxok

  10. 10
    Steve Kimura says:

    RT @EileenLeft: A lot of people oppose health care plans until they learn what's actually in the bill. http://bit.ly/bWLxok #HCR #p2

  11. 11
    Donna says:

    RT @EileenLeft: A lot of people oppose health care plans until they learn what's actually in the bill. http://bit.ly/bWLxok

  12. 12
    slackadjuster says:

    RT @EileenLeft: A lot of people oppose health care plans until they learn what's actually in the bill. http://bit.ly/bWLxok #HCR

  13. 13
    M. Kip says:

    RT @EileenLeft A lot of ppl oppose hlth care plans til they learn what's actually in the bill. http://bit.ly/bWLxok | Need to get word out!

  14. 14
    Aviva O says:

    RT @stevekimura: RT @EileenLeft: A lot of people oppose health care plans until they learn what's actually in the bill. http://bit.ly/bWLxok #HCR #p2

  15. 15
    joyce johnson says:

    RT @slackadjuster: RT @EileenLeft: A lot of people oppose health care plans until they learn what's actually in the bill. http://bit.ly/bWLxok #HCR

  16. 16
    Esther Smith says:

    RT @EileenLeft: A lot of people oppose health care plans until they learn what's actually in the bill. http://bit.ly/bWLxok

  17. 17
    Sharon says:

    RT @EileenLeft: A lot of people oppose health care plans until they learn what's actually in the bill. http://bit.ly/bWLxok #HCR #p2

  18. 18
    Christian Prochoicer says:

    RT @NYCprochoiceMD RT @EileenLeft: A lot of ppl oppose HC plans until they learn what's actually in the bill. http://bit.ly/bWLxok #HCR #p2

  19. 19
    stunetii says:

    RT @slackadjuster RT @EileenLeft: A lot of ppl oppose #hcr plans until they learn what's actually in the bill. http://bit.ly/bWLxok

  20. 20
    David Loflin says:

    RT @EileenLeft: A lot of people oppose health care plans until they learn what's actually in the bill. http://bit.ly/bWLxok

  21. 21
    Patty Zevallos says:

    Healthcare reform can start now with no high price tag

    Obama and Congress are taking the entirely wrong approach to healthcare reform. We can be doing so much right now to improve healthcare without suspicious price tags. There is nothing wrong with carrying out reform in two phases: the immediate and low price-tag phase, and the longer-term, let’s-find-the-money-first phase.

    What can be done now, with little public opposition:

    One group plan
    Everyone would have access to insurance if all insurance companies were required to offer a plan to individuals as though they were all in one large company group plan, with the same rate and no exclusions. There is no cost to taxpayers; premiums are paid by the insured.

    Guaranteed coverage and insurance market reforms
    Few would argue with such provisions. The health insurance industry has been such a Wild West that companies could promise anything and provide nothing. They suffered no bad consequences when they blatantly breached contracts with subscribers. Other than enforcement, there would be no cost to taxpayers.

    Essential benefits
    An independent committee would define an “essential benefit package” as a minimum quality standard. It would include preventive services with no co-pays or deductibles, mental health services, and oral health and vision for children. It would cap the amount that consumers have to spend per year, and cost taxpayers nothing. Insurance companies could add features to this basic package. Now they can get away with not paying for basic services because most people do not have a choice of plans, and insurance plans are far too complicated to easily compare.

    Individual responsibility
    It is time for the government to be honest about the lifestyle factors that cause many of our healthcare problems. According to an article at preventdisease.com that is based on research reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, “preventable illness makes up approximately 80% of the burden of illness and 90% of all healthcare costs,” and “preventable illnesses account for eight of the nine leading categories of death.” This is the single most important factor in lowering healthcare costs and making people healthier. But in most ways it is not a role for government. It is up to individuals to change their habits. However, the federal government certainly shouldn’t be making the situation worse. That means telling the truth about the fast food and prepared food industries. And it means requiring that government agencies and contractors use part-time and telecommuting work arrangements so people have time to exercise and prepare food at home. A national campaign aimed at employers, encouraging them to use flexible schedules for workers, such as part-time and telecommuting, could do a lot of good, with the government itself taking the lead. Cost to taxpayers: nothing. In fact, there are potentially huge savings in lowered healthcare costs.

    Pushing for results
    It is time for ratings. Netflix movies are rated. EBay sellers are rated. This is established technology. It is time for a central web site that shows us ratings for healthcare providers. Some sites do this now, but there are too many with too few ratings and it is chaotic. An insurance company doing ratings of its providers is not an unbiased source. How good is that doctor / hospital / radiology lab anyhow? How effective? How organized? How long a wait? How polite? How accurate a bill? This costs little and offers so much in savings and making healthcare very effective quickly. No more money is wasted on ineffective providers. People get well much sooner. Providers change their methods to get better ratings. Cost to taxpayers: very little. Such a site would also reveal the really bad eggs . . . moving on to . . .

    Making sure healthcare providers really do their job
    States are supposed to enforce this now, but often don’t. According to a press release from Public Citizen’s Sidney Wolfe, MD, “Most state medical boards are doing a dangerously lax job in enforcing their state medical practice acts and adequately disciplining physicians.” In another article, Dr. Wolfe said that from 1990 to 2002, just five percent of U.S. physicians caused 54 percent of the nation’s malpractice lawsuit payments, basing his numbers on information from the National Practitioner Data Bank. A constant stream of reports show that hospitals are covering up mistakes. If states were doing their job, there would be little or no malpractice lawsuits. This is far more important than tort reform. With ratings, state regulators, properly funded and monitored, could spot and check on providers who are doing a poor job before they do something really really wrong. Such a practice would eliminate payments to incompetent providers and lower malpractice cost. Cost to taxpayers: very little.

    Emphasizing primary care
    Healthcare reform needs to enhance the partnership between patient and primary care doctor. The primary care doctor is the one who needs to be on top of what is happening with a patient, with whatever record-keeping system works best for him or her (usually a hybrid of paper and database. All-electronic record-keeping is not reliable yet). Primary care doctors need to be paid as much or more than specialists and be paid for phone call and record-keeping time instead of just doctor visit time. Many doctors are forced to use a more expensive visit when a phone call will do because they don’t get paid for phone time. Cost to taxpayers: nothing

    Looking close at hospitals
    Hospitals need to be very closely audited. Not only are there often bogus charges on bills, but the charges are far far beyond costs. No one really checks this, so they keep doing it. Employees wander around hospitals that don’t seem to be doing anything. Hospitals charge for unnecessary tests, with no one making sure that tests are based on research. Anyone who complains is ignored. Medical institutions are roach motels for our hard-earned dollars. Dollars check in but they don’t check out. Cost to taxpayers: very little.

    A simple little thing
    Refrigerator magnets can save millions. Yes, you read that right. A magnet can list the phone numbers, hours, and locations of urgent care centers that can be used during weekends and evenings instead of much more expensive emergency rooms. We now waste millions on non-emergency problems being treated in emergency rooms simply because people don’t know where else to go. Cost to taxpayers: very little.

    Another simple little thing
    Money is wasted on mailed Explanation of Benefits forms from insurance companies when this information could be provided for free via a secured web site. Cost to taxpayers: nothing.

    These no- or low-cost changes would greatly improve care and save millions. They are the first step. There is no reason to delay them in order to get a “comprehensive” healthcare reform. No reform can possibly work without them in place first.

    Patty Zevallos
    media producer – web, video, print
    http://www.pbzproductions.com

  22. 22
    JL says:

    Thanks for posting this.  So true.  Unfortunately, HR 676 will not be passed anytime soon.  But support for it must remain strong.
    Meanwhile, the effort to pass Single Payer state by state is in full swing.  California’s effort to pass SB-810 is called California One Care (www.californiaonecare.org).  CA leads the way.  Support for CA’s campaign is support for single payer for everyone in the country.

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