Obama Boost: New Poll Shows 76% Support For Choice Of Public Plan

New poll numbers from NBC/Wall Street Journal produce two major and potentially conflicting story lines when it comes to the Obama administration's efforts for a health care overhaul. On the one hand, the American public overwhelmingly favors a choice between getting insurance coverage either through the private market or a government run option. Indeed, 76 percent of respondents said it was either "extremely" or "quite" important to "give people a choice of both a public plan administered by the federal government and a private plan for their health insurance."

With the public option being such a lightning rod in the current health care debate, progressive activists are already emailing around these numbers as evidence that voters are way ahead of the politicians. Certainly, the findings provide a boost of sorts to President Obama, who has stood by the public plan even as Republican opposition has crystallized.

That said, the president still has his work cut out for him. In the same NBC/WSJ poll, only 33 percent of respondents said they thought the president's health care plan, to the extent they knew of it, was a "good idea;" 32 percent said it was a bad idea.

In short: the administration has yet to complete the sale. An additional 30 percent of the public had no opinion of Obama's proposal for reform. But when read a description of the general outline -- requiring insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions, an employer mandate, tax credits for lower income families to buy coverage, and tax increases on wealthier Americans to pay for it - the number of respondents in support rose to 55 percent.

Comments

[Pupadup4oBama]

We have public schools and private schools....why can't we have public and private insurance....for those that want to pay for it, or for those that can't afford it. It really is THAT simple.

[Danyelle79]

We kinda sorta have it like that now. But it's very hard for people to get the public insurance unless you live in a social service friendly state like CA (which probably won't last long). But for most of the country it's not that easy to get, an there are hundres of loop holes the states use to denie the people coverage.

[Danyelle79]

Oh, and ABSOLUTELY NO employer taxes or contributions. Our small business have enough strain on them already.

[Danyelle79]

I have a feeling the Senate is going to screw this up. by the time they get through with it it would be any different than what we have now.

Bottom line, "complete" Health Care for all regardless of income, regardless of current Insurance coverage. Anyone that's wants the public coverage can drop there current plan at anytime. ABSOLUTELY NO STRINGS ATTACHED. No special circumstances needed, no pre-qualifications needed, no loop-holes.

Question, does anyone know if there plan will include dental and vision care?

[Icantbelieveher]

I'm with you on that! I think the senate will not pass anything with a public option. They are so worried about being bipartisan. They want to work with the party that gave out a 4 page solution?

[Danyelle79]

I think both the Dems and Reps just want to keep thier donors happy.

[Eric8]

YES WE CAN!!!!!!!! Apparently, the older, centrist, corporate democrats only believe in the word NO! Maybe they should go join the Republican Party, their entire platform is derived from the word NO! Most of these if not all of these people were against OBAMA and said NO! when he was ahead of clinton in last years primary race. Now that he is in control, they don't want liberal OBAMA saying YES! ever again because they realize how his popularity could transform the entire nation into a better one for the rest of us. They want him to say NO! on healthcare, NO! on climate change, NO! on gay marriage, because saying YES! will actually change the obscene capitalist power structure that enslaves us with invisible chains. I suggest we start a SAY YES!!! campaign demanding a YES!!!! Its time to go to work comrades.

[Pupadup4oBama]

You've been FANNED!

[naschkatze]

The thing is, they are counting on the former so-called Republican moderates coming over to their side. The DLC has won control (stolen would be a better word) of the party even though Howard Dean and the netroots were hugely responsible for the elections of 2006 and 2008. Obama, Emanuel, Clinton, they're all a part of the DLC or Republican Lite. They are counting on the votes of so-called centrists and moderates on all levels and are jettisoning the people who put them in control. I think we the progressive or liberal branch of the party should leave and form a coalition party with the Greens and Socialists.

[rhondadavis28]

We need to have a public H.C. option to level the playing fields for us, the consumers

Insurance companies are not looking out for us / my health care costs have tripled.

JSUT SAY NO TO BIG COMAPNIES.

YES WE CAN!

Obamacare help level playing ground....



WAKE UP FOLKS!!

[NewGenerationNewIdeas]

They should just explain the the public plan removes the profit motive from the system.

Public health should have no profit motive!

If not single payer now(!) then I should hope after 10 years of the public option it becomes obvious and paves the way.

[jinjinpinti]

If enough people with no, little or poor health insurance go to a hospital ER and actually experience the profit motive and the extremely unpleasant treatment it affords them, there will be such an outcry. I'd rather stay home and suffer than endure it again.

[Icantbelieveher]

76% of the people want a public option, but the democrats say they don't have the votes? Are you kidding me? We won't have the votes when it comes to re-electing these people. We all energized people to get out and vote for change and these democrats that were bought off by lobbyists want to keep things status quo? Why vote? And if that's the case, good luck keeping republicans out of office, if democrats aren't going to work for the people either!

[JessWonderin]

One question WE should ALL ask:

Why can't "WE the People" get a chance to get the same "socialist single payer plan" that OUR ELECTED Representative get???

or better yet, make THEM pay 50% of THEIR income like the people that bus the tables or clean their hotel rooms . . .

jis wonderin . . . .

[Buddy McCue]

Why can't we? Maybe it's like Noam Chomsky says, "No political support."

He mentioned the idea of public healthcare last March in an interview on Democracy Now, saying:

"...that idea was described, for example, by the New York Times as politically impossible and lacking political support. So, maybe the public wants it, but that’s not what counts as political support. The financial institutions are opposed, the pharmaceutical institutions are opposed, so ... no political support."

[JessWonderin]

"campaign donations" = political support

WE ONLY pay their salaries . . . .

[williamg]

Obamalicious wrote:


"In the same NBC/WSJ poll, only 33 percent of respondents said they thought the president's health care plan, to the extent they knew of it, was a "good idea;" 32 percent said it was a bad idea."

=======================================================================

What the actual poll question asks:

From what you have heard about Barack Obama's health care plan, do you think his plan is a good idea or a bad idea? If you do not have an opinion either way, please just say so.

--Good Idea: 33%
--Bad Idea: 32%
--Do not have an opinion: 30%


But when the pollster explains the plan to them, here are the results:


Now I am going to tell you more about the health care plan that President Obama supports and please tell me whether you would favor or oppose it.

The plan requires that health insurance companies cover people with pre-existing medical conditions. It also requires all but the smallest employers to provide health coverage for their employees, or pay a percentage of their payroll to help fund coverage for the uninsured. Families and individuals with lower- and middle-incomes would receive tax credits to help them afford insurance coverage. Some of the funding for this plan would come from raising taxes on wealthier Americans.

Do you favor or oppose this plan?

--Favor: 55%
--Oppose: 35%

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/sections/news/090617_NBC-WSJ_poll_Full.pdf


When the program is explaimed most undecideds FAVOR the plan.

[Icantbelieveher]

Untruths and half truths are all they have! That and fear!

32% oppose President Obama's plan. When you subtract the 25% that will find fault with anything he does, it's really only 7% of the "real" people in the country.

I'd say that's a good percentage!

[Pupadup4oBama]

When people are informed, they usually make the correct choices. But, that's the problem...the insurance companies and lobbyists don't WANT us to be informed...because then they can't make a profit.
I'm not sure why they don't understand - if they provide a service that is affordable and helpful, then they would probably make BIGGER profits because then more people would be willing to pay....but at least it would be a CHOICE.

[Chris]

Except most americans consider themselves to be middle class. So people may think they would be getting a tax credit when in reality the govenrment consdiers them to be "wealthier" and are receiving a tax increase.

And without a menion of the levle of service and it is a bunch of BS.

[stylenease]

Can you smell the fires burning insurance companies, AMA, other self-interested corporations that want to keep Americans from having public health care??? That noxious smell is your A$$ on fire. I hope all private health insurance companies go out of business eventually and we all have the public option.

[mimigrammy]

Correction to my last post: It should read "...budget deficits are not priority and this is one of those times".

[mimigrammy]

The average American cannot even explain what "budget deficit" means. If they could, their personal budgets wouldn't be in such a mess. There are times in fiscal management when "budget deficits" are priority and this is one of those times.

[AnnfromCA]

Most people totally get it. And they get the implications of our current deficits.

CA woes are real. And that's what will happen if we don't get control over spending.

[tre]

"In the same NBC/WSJ poll, only 33 percent of respondents said they thought the president's health care plan, to the extent they knew of it, was a "good idea;" 32 percent said it was a bad idea."

There might be hope for the country, yet.

[unwashedmasses]

ALL RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!

[k6007]

bcbs, the gop, msnbc are using franklunzt talking points to bring down the public option.

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/05/07/gop-health-frankluntz/

http://www.luntz.com/clients_overview.html