Poll: Most want Medicare changes, but wary of GOP plan

CBS

CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.

A new CBS News poll shows that Americans have mixed feelings about what should happen to Medicare: While 53 percent say the program needs fundamental changes, 58 percent say it should continue the way it is set up now.

Americans were asked which of three statements comes closest to their views: "Medicare works pretty well and only minor changes are necessary to make it work better"; "There are some good things about Medicare, but fundamental changes are needed"; or "Medicare has so much wrong with it that we need to completely rebuild it."

Twenty-seven percent - including 36 percent of Democrats - said only minor changes are needed. Thirteen percent, meanwhile, said the program must be completely rebuilt. But 53 percent says Medicare needs fundamental changes -- even though there are good things about it. That includes a majority of Republicans and independents, and 43 percent of Democrats.

A majority of Americans between ages 18 and 64 want fundamental changes. Only 37 percent of those 65 and older feel the same way.

Respondents were also asked if they would like to see Medicare "continue the way it is set up now, as a program that pays the doctors and hospitals that treat senior citizens" or "if they think it should become "a program that gives senior citizens payments towards the purchase of private insurance." Democrats have called for keeping Medicare as it is now, while Republicans have advocated transforming it into a voucher-style system in which seniors chose their coverage option and are allotted a certain amount of money to cover their insurance costs.

In the poll, 58 percent of Americans said the program should continue as it is now - including 70 percent of Democrats and 58 percent of independents. Less than half of Republicans - 45 percent - share that view. Majorities of both those who are over 55 and under 55 said the program should continue the way it is set up now. (The Republican plan would transform Medicare only for those who are 55 or younger.)

Just 31 percent, meanwhile, said Medicare should become "a program that gives senior citizens payments towards the purchase of private insurance." Even among Republicans, less than half (43 percent) support turning Medicare into a payment program.

CBS News

Americans say they are not entirely clear on the issue: Only 19 percent say they have a good understanding of the Republicans' proposed changes to Medicare. Two-thirds, meanwhile, say they find the issue confusing.

One thing they are relatively clear on, however, is what they see as the program's value. Sixty-eight percent of Americans say the benefits of Medicare are worth the cost to taxpayers, including majorities of every age group as well as Republicans, Democrats and independents. Only 21 percent say the program is not worth the cost.

CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care Reform

Views of the Parties

A majority of Americans have unfavorable views of both major political parties, though Democrats fare slightly better than Republicans.

Just 30 percent have a favorable view of the GOP, down from 37 percent in April; 61 percent have an unfavorable view of the party, an increase of five points from April.

Forty-one percent, meanwhile, have a favorable view of Democrats. Fifty-two percent have an unfavorable view.

Thirty percent of Republicans and 18 percent of Democrats hold an unfavorable view of their own party. Independents hold unfavorable views of both parties, though they are more unhappy with Republicans (64 percent hold an unfavorable view) than Democrats (54 percent hold an unfavorable view).

Asked what issue they most want to hear the presidential candidates discuss, there was no contest: 47 percent of registered voters said the economy and jobs. The budget deficit followed far behind at 11 percent, followed by health care at 7 percent.

Read the complete poll (PDF)

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This poll was conducted among a random sample of 1,024 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone June 3-7, 2011. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

[spoonie88]

READ THE MEDICARE LAW IN FULL AND UNDERSTAND IT BEFORE YOU COMMENT
I AND MY EMPLOYER HAVE PAID OVER $198,000 IN TO MEDICARE SINCE 1966
I HAVE BOUGHT AND PAID FOR MY POLICY IF THE MONEY IS NOT THERE TO COVER ME IT MUST HAVE BEEN STOLEN BY ALL THE POLITICIANS IN THIS COUNTRY GORE'S IDEA OF A'LOCK BOX' WAS TOATALLY IGNORED I WANT MY MONEY BACK IF YOU TELL ME YOU ARE ELIMINATING MEDICARE AS I BOUGHT AND PAID FOR

[AngryOldWhiteGuy]

Someone should sent these polls to the Seven Dwarf's running for nothing at the "Debates" since they seem to think the American public is all pumped up about ending Medicare! Read it and weep Right Wingers your point of view is not represented here!

[Mortarman429]

Ending Medicare wasnt one of the choices.

[MarineVet64]

What were the choices?????????????

[Lindag10]

I'm turning 65 this year and have been courted by EVERY insurance company that does business in the US wanting me to sign up for THEIR program. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Medicare is a bonaza for the insurance companies because they ignored me previously. We need to go to a single payer system and stop the private companies from ripping off the system. Get real.

[Mortarman429]

Single payer??? Why do you want to steal from your fellow American?

[MarineVet64]

Single payer vs. multiple payer is stealing????????????
On what planet???????????????????????????????????????

[wmb1957]

by thebob-bob June 13, 2011 6:42 PM EDT
Raise the income cap and add a modest cap on payouts to the wealthiest 2%. Redo the calculations and call me in the morning.
----------------
There is no income cap on medicare taxes if you are referring to the wage base. I believe it was removed in 1994.

[wmb1957]

@pahgre, the real gem is you being stuck on "fox" or "heritage" or others you hate, rather then focusing on the subject at hand, mainly medicare.

In fact CBO also says the baseline and alternative scenarios don't work either. You do have to read the analysis to relize that, as well as previous reports, rather then read one sentence from a blog.

[thebob-bob]

Raise the income cap and add a modest cap on payouts to the wealthiest 2%. Redo the calculations and call me in the morning.

[wmb1957]

@MarineVet64 - "Health plans' profits accounted for less than 1/2 of 1% of total health care spending in 2010 according to a report by Fortune."

Not the 21% percent health insurance profit you are claiming by a long shot.

[wmb1957]

Patients, Groups Sue Medicare over Service Cuts
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
By Staff, Associated Press

Montpelier, Vt. (AP) - Five New England residents and five national health care advocacy groups are suing the federal government, saying Medicare benefits are being cut improperly after their conditions are determined to be chronic.
<snip>

[wmb1957]

@pahgre,

The CBO, not Heritage(?), said that Ryan's medicare would have the government set the standard plan.

"Beneficiaries of the premium support payments would choose among competing private insurance plans operating in a newly established Medicare exchange. Those plans would have to comply with a standard for benefits set by the Office of Personnel Management. "

[wmb1957]

@pahgre, unlike private insurance, all costs are not allocated to medicare that medicare actually uses. As an example building costs, costs for auditing, marketing costs, are allocated to other departments although Medicare does use these services.