What Do Americans Want from HCR?

What Do Americans Want from HCR?
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My column for the week picks up where this post from last week left off and attempts to answer the question, so what do Americans want with respect to health care reform?

One additional thought I didn't take the time to express in the column. For all its messiness, the legislative negotiation and debate has narrowed to the two priorities that Americans, and especially those most uncertain about the propose legislation, rank highest: making sure affordable
insurance is available and not adding to the budget deficit. From the
perspective of democratic representation, the system is working as it
should.

On their blog CenteredPolitics, my friends Sheri and Allan Rivlin (Allan is a Democratic pollster) focus on an issue related to what Americans want: Why do so few Americans -- only 22% on the most recent CNN/ORC poll -- believe they will benefit from health care reform?

The reason support for health care reform is declining is really very simple. The only messages the public is receiving is that health care reform is bad. Turn on Fox News any given night and the message is this or that health reform bill is bad. Turn on MSNBC any given night and the message is this or that health reform bill is bad. Fox News blames all Democrats and MSNBC blames some Democrats.

They continue with advice for supporters of health reform.

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