In advance of tomorrow’s bipartisan health care reform summit at the White House, a new poll shows Democrats have the upper hand when it comes to what Americans want fixed in their health care system. But they remain unhappy with both bills passed in the Democratic-led Congress.
A CNN national poll out today confirms what health care reform advocates have been saying — Americans want health care reform, and they favor (if only slightly) most of the reforms Democrats are pushing. But the poll also confirms what Republicans and reform opponents have been saying for months: Democrats are walking into the summit with a set of bills basically no one wants.
According to the poll, 48% of Americans want Washington to scrap the current Democratic bills and start over on a reform package. Just a quarter of the country wants Congress to “bill similar to the legislation that Congress has been working on for the past year.” The other 25% want Congress to stop working on health care all together.
But when asked about the individual components of the various reform packages, Americans polled by CNN favor requiring companies to provide insurance to their employees, end preexisting condition screening by insurance companies and ban cancelling health coverage for beneficiaries who become seriously ill.
A large majority of respondents (66%) also favored limits on malpractice suit awards, a central GOP talking point in the health care debate. The also oppose mandates, another key Republican message.
On a public option, the public is split. Fifty-one percent favor some kind of government-run insurance plan as part of reform, while 48% say they oppose it.
So, heading into tomorrow, the room for compromise (at least in the eyes of the public) seems to fall on the issues of tort reform and the inclusion of a public option. Still, despite the strengths the Democrats seemingly bring to the table, the GOP dominance of the messaging side of the reform debate — evidenced in the overall dissatisfaction with the bills that have passed in Congress — gives Republicans plenty of ammunition of their own.
