NY Times/CBS News Poll: Wide Support For Government-Run Option Competing With Private Insurers

New York Times:

Americans overwhelmingly support substantial changes to the health care system and are strongly behind one of the most contentious proposals Congress is considering, a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[moonbay]

With a weak GOP, a Democratic congress could easily get public healthcare passed. HOWEVER, the drug and medical industries have bought off the Democrats. THAT is the problem with getting public healthcare passed. WE need to start by demanding (with our feet) a public healthcare option that works - that is well written and well funded. I say that because just you watch, IF somehow we force public healthcare onto the table, and IF somehow congress feels pushed to provide it, they will try to write some horrid piece of legislation to "prove" it doesn't work.

The next thing we need to do is get publicly funded campaign laws passed. Several states have already done this to good effect. Forget the arguement that your dollars might go for a candidate you don't like. That is a specious arguement. It could be argued that someone else's dollars are paying for your candidate. But, more importantly, we put our dollars together for schools, police, firefighte­rs,.....al­l because we recognize the benefits. What if another wards firefighters wouldn't come to put your fire out because they didn't like the ethnicity of your ward? It doesn't make sense to let special interests make these campaign donations and buy our "representatives."

[moonbay]

More: Once these politician have taken the money, they feel beholden. Even if it was the politician you supported, and donated to. When it comes to that healthcare vote in congress, they're not going to be considering your donation, they're going to be thinking about those big bucks they took and that they'll need again come next campaign. If the corporatio­ns/industr­ies with the bucks say, "no public healthcare," there won't be any!

[greatscot]

The senate push-back has begun. Check out Ron Wyden's "moderation" and Feinstein's "sad but accepting" acknowledgement of our impending failure. These are all trial balloons, folks, floated to test the reaction of the people to what our masters have planned for us on health care. What we'll get is another give-away similar to the Medicare prescription coverage (that served no-one well and greatly increased big pharma's profits), along with MANDATED PURCHASE OF COVERAGE FROM PRIVATE INSURANCE COMPANIES!

Realize how Washington works. A new, mandated program would be a new source of revenue for private companies, thus a new source of revenue worth protecting, thus a new source of revenue for politicians via political donations. You scratch may back, I'll scratch yours, and that won't change until we outlaw political donations from non-human entities, and limit those to a couple of hundred dollars a year, and only to candidates within one's own electoral district, but that's a whole 'nuther subject.

If what the Gov't is proposing is MANDATED, PRIVATE insurance, then NOTHING AT ALL would be preferable. We can always come back and re-viisit the issue AFTER we've turned out the parasites who think that they are good enough for taxpayer-paid health care, but we're not.

Watch and wait. Pay attention, especially to small things on Capitol Hill. There are 90 million of us with no, or sub-standard, or unaffordable health insurance, so what we want - SINGLE PAYER - is entirely do-able!

[moonbay]

I agree that these are trial balloons, just sent out there to see how we respond. On a Sunday. It is up to us to demand what we want. The industry-bought congress has just told us what they want to offer us - no public health care. If we don't tell them that won't do, they'll pull their balloons back in and move on to the next topic on the table. I suggest you go to Senator Bernie Sander's site and sign his petition - at a minimum.

[Concerned American99]

A poll you can trust: Rasmussen

41% Favor Public Sector Health Care Option, 41% Disagree

Forty-one percent (41%) of American adults believe it would be a good idea to set up a government health insurance company to compete with private health insurance companies. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that an identical number (41%) disagree.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/business/healthcare/june_2009/41_favor_public_sector_health_care_option_41_disagree

[kasinca]

Rasmussen is a right wing rag. Scott Rasmussen was president of young rethuglicans.

[Pigeon2]

Soooo...you are saying it would be better if rasmussen was a Lt. wing lib?

[Bernique]

Rasmussen polls tend to reflect a rightwing slant. I wonder how they pick their responders, humm...

Most polls show over 70 % favoring a single payer/public option.

[THISTLE]

Diane Feinstein ONCE AGAIN STANDING WITH THE REPUBLICANS on Healthcare.
The polls show Americans want healthcare - and we want a government run option, and
the politicans continue to ignore what the American people want and need to DEMAND.
And when politicans lament about where are we going to find the money, they INSTANTLY
FIND THE MONEY TO FUND WARS - THEY FIND IT OVERNIGHT!
But not for healthcare, not for the schools, not for the PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY LIVE IN THE
UNITED STATES. If this healthcare reform goes down in defeat, every single person in the
Senate & House should be THROWN OUT OF OFFICE - INCLUDING ALL THE DEMOCRATS
WHO OPPOSE THIS LIKE - FEINSTEIN. Poll after Poll show how much the American people
want this - we need to now start DEMANDING it. And put on notice - Feinstein and all the others
who are trying to stop this - THEY HAVE THE BEST HEALTH CARE INSURANCE - PAID FOR BY
US - THE TAXPAYERS. FEINSTEIN IS MEGA RICH - LET HER PAY FOR HER OWN INSURANCE
AND STOP TRYING TO STOP AMERICANS FROM GETTING HEALTHCARE.

[PhilipTaylor]

VERY Dissapointing!

Time for NEW Ideas in my state!

She says one thing and then another! What is her game plan?

[judesuper]

Everyone, go to the link in TheImpaler's comment and sign the petition for public health care option.

[nomorefed]

Your house is worth $125,000 but you paid $250,000 don"t worry with "Mark-To-Market" Neutered you can say whatever you want to about your home value and no one can refute you!
Now when you go in for a loan, simply declare the house is worth $300,000 and along with your clean "ON-THE-BOOKS Balance Sheet" with no visible other debts means you get money from the FED at 1% interest or maybe less!
Why can"t this world be true for ALL AMERICANS like it is for Wall Street?
We do not own Congress and they DO using ill-gotten FUNDS!
Are the Wall Street Banks really healthy? With "OFF-THE-BOOKS" accounting and "MARK-TO-MARKET" Neutered who knows what the truth is!

good articles: href=".http://kl.am/tsc> recommended website

[backinstolaf]

Here is what I do not get. Most everyone agrees there should be a progressive tax structure (how much is the debate) and some republicans want a linear tax for everyone.

Now why the Democrats haven't pounced on this yet it totally beyond me, because they could control the debate if they did this one tax hike and it is the Social Security Tax.

Social Security Tax is somewhere around 6.25%, but ONLY for the first $105,000 (do not know the exact number, but it is somewhere around there) or so somebody makes - at that point, you stop paying the tax (meaning an extra 6.25% of extra income for anyone who makes over the threshold ).

If Republicans are saying, we need a flat tax, the Democrats should call them on it and say fine then - you know that 6.25% in social security tax that stops at $105K, let's have everyone continue to contribute that past $105K, but it goes to a new healthcare bucket. Problem solved. I think if most middle class people were aware of this, they'd be outraged that the wealthy actually have this 6.25% loophole that they do not pay on their taxes past that amount. Again, it is about branding and if the Democratic Party took this argument and ran with it, they could win it - and in my opinion easily.

[judesuper]

People of Arizona, do you want a public health care option? Then vote McCain OUT!!!

[gcallaghan]

One overlooked advantage to single payer or universal healthcare is the focus will shift from treatment to cure. Today the real profit is in extending insured patients' lives as long as possible through costly treatments; to cure them is to kill the golden egg laying goose.

Universal healthcare and single payer removes profit from that equation. The costs of indefinite treatments will become staggeringly huge. The emphasis will be on prevention and therapies that reduce long term costs and may begin with something as simple as banning the chemical cocktails we call our food.

[JuliaRain]

Bravo. Excellent.

[judesuper]

Absolutely right!

[Gonzorunner]

Your either smoking something or living in la la land! So you think all our food contributes to health care problems! Such a narrow view!! What about your predisposition to health problems because of your parents DNA. So if you have cancer in your genes, forget the treatments and just get killed because you are too expensive to keep around. Absurd arguement!!!!

[JuliaRain]

Please take a good look at the "big picture". Thank you.

No it is not an "absurd" argument, but rather an intelligent observation.

[Gonzorunner]

Of course, the poll is by the two most liberal media companies around. They are sucking up to BHO big time and the poll does not accurately reflect what the country really believes about health care. Read this story as a totally fictional creation!!!

[judesuper]

Read the comments. Don't be fooled, people want a public health care option. Arizona, vote McCain OUT!!!

[Gonzorunner]

Sure people want affordable health care. But certainly not the ONE TRILLION dollar option BHO and his clowns are trying to force on our country.

[JuliaRain]

So what does the country really believe in health care, then?

[RJII]

Rupubes called another one incorrectly. Who knew most people were for public. Here, I thought I was alone.

I never trusted private insurance companies to pay up.

[Concerned American99]

NYT should stay out of it as they reduce the credibility. They are far left, too bias and lack credibility. According to recent research, the New York Times stories, three out of four evaluative comments (73%) by sources and reporters were favorable

Study of Obama coverage: NYT’s most favorable,

The Center for Media and Public Affairs, a nonpartisan group at George Mason University, has a new report out today, finding that Obama’s been covered during the first 50 days more than the past two presidents combined.

Here's a breakdown:

The three networks have evaluated Mr. Obama very similarly: 57% positive comments on ABC, 58% positive on CBS, and 61% positive on NBC. But he fared far better in New York Times stories, where nearly three out of four evaluative comments (73%) by sources and reporters were favorable. And he fared far worse on Fox News, where only one out of eight such comments (13%) were favorable.

http://dyn.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/index.cfm/category/BarackObama

[JuliaRain]

Who cares. It's irrelevant to the discussion.

More people want health care reform. In fact it seems the majority want it.

Agree on that first and then the discussion for health reform can really begin finally without polls interfering in the debate.

[Concerned American99]

It is relevant if the poll data is bogus. That is what this discussion thread is about.

[ddravla]

The Center for Media and Public Affairs? They were set up by rethugs to counter Media Matters. They aren't nonpartisan and are about as honest as Fox news.

[Bernique]

We are the only country where employers get involved so intimately with the health of their employees. It is a burden they should be happy to give up. And an intrusion we employees could do without.

Employers should be at the front of the line in demanding SINGLE PAYER.

[bungle]

yeah i dont understand that why would they want to keep that monster on there back..

[LemonMeringue]

It does more or less enslave us to our employers, to have to get our insurance from them.

That might be an advantage to them.

[Bernique]

We must work for a system that takes away from the employers the power to enslave us via so-called "health insurance".

SINGLE PAYER.

[judesuper]

Agreed.

[TheImpaler]

A PETITION TO CONGRESS
Supporting Single-Payer Health Care:


http://sanders.senate.gov/petitions/index.cfm?uid=7fd59f2e-88e1-477a-8eaf-762a5b050809

[RJII]

done.

[TerryOakland]

Thanks, I signed, too.

The link was very slow, though, so I went directly to www.sanders.senate.gov. The "Sign Healthcare Petition Now" button is right there in the top center of the page.

Everybody should sign it.

[judesuper]

Signed.

[lasvegaslily]

Signed!

[Pigeon2]

Got a petition for us who want to keep the Health Ins. we have?