Political Hotsheet 
While the debate in Congress over including a "public option" in health care reform legislation continues, Americans' views on a government-administered health plan are clearer: more than half support it.
Recent CBS News Polls have shown that a majority of Americans consistently supports a public option – defined as a government-administered health insurance plan something like the Medicare coverage that people 65 and older receive that would compete with private health insurance plans.
And although support has dropped ten points since June, 62 percent favored it in an early October CBS News Poll, while just half as many, 31 percent, opposed it.
Recent polls conducted by other media and polling organizations also find a majority in support of a public option.
While each pollster asks the question slightly differently, levels of support are now similar. A ABC News/Washington Post poll released today found 57 percent supported the government creating "a new health insurance plan to compete with private health insurance plans." That's up from 55 percent in their previous poll last month.
In August, 55 percent told the CNN/Opinion Research poll they favored "a public health insurance option administered by the federal government that would compete with plans offered by private health insurance companies."
In a Pew poll conducted in September, 55 percent favored a "government health insurance plan to compete with private health insurance plans." The September NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll found slightly less, 46 percent, in favor of a "public health care plan administered by the government that would compete directly with private insurance companies."
Pollsters have long known that the way in which a question is worded can sometimes affect the results. In August, CBS News conducted a split-sample experiment, asking half the sample their views on a plan "similar to Medicare, that people age 65 and older receive," and the other half about a public option without the reference to Medicare.
Without the Medicare reference, fewer -- but still a 53 percent majority -- said they favored the government offering a health insurance plan, with 36 percent opposed. That finding is similar to the results from other polls that also omit the Medicare reference.
Not everyone supports the public option. In the October CBS News Poll, 83 percent of Democrats favored it, but support dropped to just 34 percent among Republicans, with 57 percent opposed.
Support for the public option also varies by age. Among people age 65 and over, 49 percent favor the public option, and 38 percent are opposed. By comparison, about seven in 10 of those under age 45 support it.
More Coverage on the Debate Over Health Care Reform:
Track the Progress of Health Care Reform
Is Quality, Affordable Health Care Possible for $900B?
Baucus: Public Option Still on the Table
CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care
Sarah Dutton is the CBS News director of surveys. Poll Positions is weekly Hotsheet feature on polling trends from the CBS News Survey and Polling Unit. Click here for more posts from the series.
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Support for Public Options Remains Strong, Polls Show
(CBS 3 Philadelphia)
Recent CBS News Polls have shown that a majority of Americans consistently supports a public option – defined as a government-administered health insurance plan something like the Medicare coverage that people 65 and older receive that would compete with private health insurance plans.
And although support has dropped ten points since June, 62 percent favored it in an early October CBS News Poll, while just half as many, 31 percent, opposed it.
GOVERNMENT HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN LIKE MEDICARE
| Now | 9/2009 | 8/2009 | 7/2009 | 6/2009 | |
| Favor | 62% | 65% | 60% | 66% | 72% |
| Oppose | 31% | 26% | 34% | 27% | 20% |
Recent polls conducted by other media and polling organizations also find a majority in support of a public option.
While each pollster asks the question slightly differently, levels of support are now similar. A ABC News/Washington Post poll released today found 57 percent supported the government creating "a new health insurance plan to compete with private health insurance plans." That's up from 55 percent in their previous poll last month.
In August, 55 percent told the CNN/Opinion Research poll they favored "a public health insurance option administered by the federal government that would compete with plans offered by private health insurance companies."
In a Pew poll conducted in September, 55 percent favored a "government health insurance plan to compete with private health insurance plans." The September NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll found slightly less, 46 percent, in favor of a "public health care plan administered by the government that would compete directly with private insurance companies."
Pollsters have long known that the way in which a question is worded can sometimes affect the results. In August, CBS News conducted a split-sample experiment, asking half the sample their views on a plan "similar to Medicare, that people age 65 and older receive," and the other half about a public option without the reference to Medicare.
Without the Medicare reference, fewer -- but still a 53 percent majority -- said they favored the government offering a health insurance plan, with 36 percent opposed. That finding is similar to the results from other polls that also omit the Medicare reference.
GOVERNMENT HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN (August 2009)
| Without Medicare Reference | With Medicare Reference | |
| Favor | 53% | 60% |
| Oppose | 36% | 34% |
| Don't Know | 11% | 6% |
Not everyone supports the public option. In the October CBS News Poll, 83 percent of Democrats favored it, but support dropped to just 34 percent among Republicans, with 57 percent opposed.
Support for the public option also varies by age. Among people age 65 and over, 49 percent favor the public option, and 38 percent are opposed. By comparison, about seven in 10 of those under age 45 support it.
More Coverage on the Debate Over Health Care Reform:
Track the Progress of Health Care Reform
Is Quality, Affordable Health Care Possible for $900B?
Baucus: Public Option Still on the Table
CBSNews.com Special Report: Health Care
Sarah Dutton is the CBS News director of surveys. Poll Positions is weekly Hotsheet feature on polling trends from the CBS News Survey and Polling Unit. Click here for more posts from the series.
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Places in Europe have single payer systems and they rank way ahead of us and we spend more than any other nation in world for health care for a person--more than twice as much and they have longer life span and they have less babies that are still born than the USA.
It is time to stop the massive profits, salaries, waste, administration costs and kick backs from drug companies to doctors for using the most expensive medicines when most of the generics are better or just as good.
Unless they want the USA to fail...
Oh sure, they may not be able to prexist you but they can still keep giving you the "high hard one" on premiums!!
A Public Option simply says that if you don't like getting the shaft, you have a better and cheaper choice!!!
<a href="http://www.mnui.com">International Medical Insurance</a>
Hypocrisy
Acorn
Non-Partisanship
Greed
Extremism
Thats all the change I can thank of. Semper Fi
Semper Fidelis, A fortiori.
So I guess what I have been saying all along is proving true. The insurance lobbyists mis-information campaign would fail. I knew it would.
But, the republicans and the insurance industry won't stop the lies and mis-information which just proves two things: They are liars and they are obstructionists.
Like I say, this is nothing to do with reform. This action by the republican extremist party and the insurance industry is bi-fold. If the reform passes, it'll restrict the abuses of the insurance industry. That's their motivation.
The republican motivation is to see Obama as a failed leader. It's really that simple.