Public Strongly Supports Public Health Care Option

Yesterday, what prompted CNBC's Jim Cramer to suggest that President Barack Obama needed "to go away for a little bit," was a poll, whose numbers indicated that Americans were more concerned with curbing federal deficits than with additional economic stimulus. This data was then strangely extrapolated by Joe Scarborough to conclude that it put "the Obama administration behind the eight ball on health care." That seemed to me like it was a case of waterboarding a poll to elicit a false confession.

To see where the public alignment is on health care reform, wouldn't a poll on health care reform be a tad more instructive? Enter Greg Sargent:

A new poll by a nonpartisan, D.C.-based research group finds truly overwhelming support for the public option. The kicker: The poll was bankrolled partly by previous opponents of health care reform, including one of the nation's best-known insurance companies.

The poll -- which was just released by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, a D.C. policy think tank -- finds that a majority (53%) strongly back the availability of a public plan, while another 30% "somewhat" support it. That's a total of 83% in favor of a public plan -- a staggeringly large majority.

Significantly, that poll was commissioned by some of the organizations who opposed health care reform in the 1990s.

Sargent wisely notes that one shouldn't construe these numbers as being "uniformly good for Obama's plan," only that support for a public plan is vast. It seems to me that the fastest way for the White House to get "behind the eight ball on health care" would be for them to follow Tom Daschle's advice and drop the public option.

Nevertheless, all the hue and cry over THE DEFICITS seem to have had their effect. Via Ezra Klein comes the news that the latest version of the health care reform proposal sitting in front of the Senate Finance Committee has gone against the will of the people:

Sources say that it's a major scale-back of the outline they had before. Specifically, subsidies have dropped from 400 percent of the poverty line to 300 percent. Medicaid eligibility has been tightened to 133 percent of poverty for children and pregnant women and 100 percent of poverty for parents and childless adults. The plans being offered in the exchange have seen their actuarial values sharply lowered.

Beyond the changes, this is also the clearest look we've had at the specific policies being considered. There's a fairly strong individual mandate, albeit with exemptions for those beneath the poverty line, those who would have to spend more than 15 percent of income for a plan, and undocumented workers. There are a variety of options for an employer mandate, or the absence of one. Sen. Kent Conrad's co-op idea is up for discussion. There's no public plan mentioned anywhere in the document.

Make no mistake: if health care reform gets watered down into useless marm, the media -- with its newfound and insensate panic attacks over deficits -- will have had a hand in it.

MORE:
The Central Paradox of Health Care Reform [Matt Yglesias]

PREVIOUSLY, on the HUFFINGTON POST:
Speaking of Daschle, man...did I ever call that one correctly.

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Comments

[Icantbelieveher]

The deficit is being used as a talking point against health care! Why are there no polls asking questions like:

Should the government scrap health care reform that includes a public option because of the cost?

The poll that shows that the majority of people are willing to pay higher taxes to get a public option is the closest they have to that question.

I have insurance, but I would pay higher taxes to help someone else who has no job (through no fault of their own) get health care!

Better yet -- should Americans have to keep sacrificing and get no relief yet again, because the previous republican administration ran up the deficit?

[tompoe]

Public supports single payer, not more profit driven healthcare. The sources quoted in this post are a reflection of the author's ignorance. Linkins must be hoping to join the corporate media.

[Trittydi]

Any Congress person that works to maintain the status quo on health care -- OR - does nothing to change it -- AND EVEN WORSE -- works to defeat Real Reform (only single payer) ---- is a traitor to this Country.

And I'll be happy to call any one of these Monsters, a Traitor to their face.
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[Trittydi]

A "for-profit" only system as the only option for a basic Human Right is inhumane, predatory and obscene.

Yank Congressional Health Care - NOW!!
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[rhondadavis28]

need public option!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Trittydi]

Public Option is not single payer. It's a shell game.
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[rhondadavis28]

REFORM = PUBLIC OPTION.

yes we can

get it done !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sandra Moore]

Call your Senator tell them to give back their Public Health Care, the one that (we) the tax-payer are paying for......

Call Your Senator!!!!



Call Your Senator!!!!

[Trittydi]

YANK CONGRESSIONAL HEALTH CARE - NOW!
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[HST]

1.Who the hell cares what "great time to buy stock" Cramer has to say?

2.Politicos ignore voters at their own peril.

Number 2 should be repeated early and often.

[dblack1964]

Real health care reform requires breaking out of the inflationary spiral promoted by traditional insurance schemes. Innovative strategies to deal with the problem are emerging that don't involve insurance companies. The "individual mandate" is a crass attempt by the insurance lobby to shut down such reforms and herd us all into the corporate insurance pen through force of law.

Insurance is the problem, not the solution.

[alwqb]

Politicians, listen to your constituents.

[zenaby56]

I strongly support a public health care option. I looked at what the Republicans are offering, tax credits. I don't need to get have some nominal amount of funds returned to me after the fact but need to receive a viable choice for healthcare coverage up front. I am in my 50's, lost my healthcare recently and cannot break back into health coverage. Our family is completely financially vulnerable.

I cannot believe Republicans in Congress has the nerve to be opposing a public healthcare option while they sit there receiving the cadillac of public healthcare coverage!

[MyrtleJune]

Stupid stupid people. Joe Scarboro need to be lumped in with rush and hannity and those other extremists who can't seem to count.

Poll data. The poll taken in November 2008 CLEARLY support the PUBLIC SINGLE PAYOR option being the ONLY viable definition of REFORM. We voted, and now we being polled, and still they just don't GET IT.

REFORM = PUBLIC OPTION. Period.

[Trittydi]

Public Option is NOT good enough. We need Single Payer -- They are NOT the same thing - but they want you to think they are.
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[Bronxdude]

In collusion with health insurance corporations, pharmaceutical manufactures, and physicians who regard healthcare as only a revenue stream, the Reagan deregulated, for-profit medical culture has methodically raped America, while complicit, unscrupulous, and self-serving republicans silenced by special interest, graft, and kick-backs acquiesce. Since obstructionistic republicans support the systematic plundering of the middleclass by ruthless corporations like UnitedHealthcare, this is why we need government oversight between the public and greed-driven, parasitic health insurance providers. Profit at the expense of human suffering is a republican engineered abomination. Forget bipartisanship; true non-profit health insurance reform will provide affordable and competition options that include a public versus private offering. Since Georgia is self-insured, state employees have no due process patient protection rights, which means UnitedHealthcare can deny medical care and authorize exorbitant copays and deductibles with no appeal oversight. Real, quality-driven reform will end the monopolistic strangle-hold enjoyed by morally bankrupt health insurance corporations. In Georgia, Cigna and UnitedHealthcare officials colluded with state republicans to eliminate Blue Cross and Blue Shield as a competitor, narrowing the slate of choices to two, with the end result being higher premiums, bigger profit, and reduced benefits. Mr. Obama: The health insurance industry (and the despicable republicans they bankroll) will not retreat quietly from billions in annual profits! I want the same government health insurance option the military and Congress (and their families) enjoy. When compared to the average American, why do politicians live longer? Answer: universal

[Bronxdude]

If competition is the lynchpin of free-market capitalism, then let the greed-driven, for-profit health insurance providers compete with the feds for my business. Limiting choice stimulates demand and increases profit for a select few, which is why republicans support the monopolistic advantage health insurance companies enjoy. Since obstructionistic republicans embrace the methodical pilfering of Americans by ruthless corporations like UnitedHealthcare, this is why we need government oversight between the public and parasitic health insurance providers. Through mendacious scare tactics, republicans distract and whip up baseless fear by cautioning Americans that democratic reform will lead to substandard, rationed healthcare, with the end result being that the feds will come between the patient and their doctor, dictating medical treatment. Contrary to specious talking points authored by self-serving republicans long on rhetoric and short on substance, as it stands right now, unregulated health insurance companies dictate not only the cost of my healthcare, but how, when, and where I receive medical care. Republicans are bankrolled and controlled by the same health insurance industry they deregulated, which is why they defend the extortion of the American public by these opportunistic, unprincipled companies. Both Congress and the military have a private and public option, which is what the majority of Americans want. Historically, deregulation leads to corruption, which is the case in Georgia, where the Insurance Commissioner, an elected republican, is under investigation for receiving illegal contributions from the same health insurance providers he is tasked with regulating.

[pontesisto]

If you would like to help pressure Congress to pass single payer health care please join our voting bloc at:
http://www.votingbloc.org/Health_Bloc.php