Poll: The Politics Of Health Care

Most Americans Favor Universal Health Care, Give Democrats Edge On Improving System

(CBS)  Americans think the U.S. health care system is in need of major repairs, according to a CBS News/New York Times poll.

Nine out of 10 say the system needs at least fundamental changes, including 36 percent who favor a complete overhaul.

Although most Americans say they are generally satisfied with the quality of their own health care, including 41 percent who say they are very satisfied, it's a different story when it comes to the cost of care.

Just one in five are very satisfied with what they pay for health care, while a majority (52 percent) are dissatisfied, including a third who are very dissatisfied.

U.S. HEALTH CARE SYSTEM NEEDS…

Minor changes
8%
Fundamental changes
54%
To be completely rebuilt
36%

Americans are even more critical of health care costs in the nation as whole: 59 percent are very dissatisfied with the overall cost of health care in the U.S. and another 22 percent are somewhat dissatisfied.

Most Americans believe government can play a role in fixing the health care system. Two-thirds say the federal government should guarantee that all Americans have health insurance — and a similar number says providing health insurance for all is a more serious problem than keeping health care costs down.

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Read the complete results of this CBS News/New York Times poll

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Eighty-four percent of Americans favor expanding government programs in order to give health insurance to all uninsured children.

Less than one in three, however, say the government would do a better job than private insurance companies at actually providing medical coverage. Forty-four percent said the government would be worse as a health care provider than private companies.

SHOULD GOVERNMENT GUARANTEE HEALTH INSURANCE FOR ALL?

Yes
64%
No
27%


WHICH IS MORE SERIOUS?

Providing health insurance for all
65%
Keeping health care costs down
31%

More Americans do think the government can do a better job than private companies at helping hold down health care costs.

Health care promises to be a crucial issue in the 2008 presidential campaign. In a CBS News poll conducted last month, health care tied with jobs and the economy as the second-most important issue facing the country, following the war in Iraq. It was even more important to Democratic primary voters, ranking ahead of the economy and jobs.

In the new poll, the public gives the Democrats a big edge over the Republicans on handling health care issues. Asked which party they believe will best improve the health care system, 62 percent said the Democrats, while just 19 percent said the Republicans.

PARTY THAT WOULD IMPROVE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

Democrats
62%
Republicans
19%

However, none of the top tier of Democratic presidential candidates has yet to gain a significant national edge on the health care issue.

Six in ten Democratic voters expressed confidence in Sen. Hillary Clinton's approach to health care, but more than half of voters nationally said they're uneasy. Voters overall were also more uneasy than confident about both Sen. Barack Obama and former Sen. John Edwards on health care.

But all three Democratic presidential hopefuls rated higher than the current president on the health care issue. Only 17 percent of Americans said they were confident in President Bush's approach to health care, while 77 percent — including about half of Republicans — were uneasy.

Asked to choose which health care topics they'd like to hear the 2008 presidential candidates talk about over the next two years, 34 percent said providing coverage for the uninsured was most important, followed by 28 percent who said reducing health care costs. Eighteen percent said improving the quality of care and a similar number said improving the Medicare prescription drug benefit.

For detailed information on how CBS News conducts public opinion surveys, click here.

This poll was conducted among a random sample of 1,281 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone Feb. 23-27, 2007. 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.

[Dianaguru]

It's not going to turn well...
1.Whenever government is involved, it's going to be a disaster. Don't think that everybody will get the right quality of healthcare....It'll will be much worse.
2. Taxpayers will pay for those who don't work, stay at home and have 5-8 kids.... Doctors will be obliged to accept all patients, and you will have to be on the list for a long time to have a doctor's visit... Can you wait for a month????? That what happens when you have public healthcare....
3.People wouldn't like to go and study to be doctors, so in 10 years we will have a deficit of medical employees.... Then you will strugle for real....

[Dianaguru]

It's not going to turn well...
1.Whenever government is involved, it's going to be a disaster. Don't think that everybody will get the right quality of healthcare....It'll will be much worse.
2. Taxpayers will pay for those who don't work, stay at home and have 5-8 kids.... Doctors will be obliged to accept all patients, and you will have to be on the list for a long time to have a doctor's visit... Can you wait for a month????? That what happens when you have public healthcare....
3.People wouldn't like to go and study to be doctors, so in 10 years we will have a deficit of medical employees.... Then you will strugle for real....

[jpo2009]

Of the 47 million uninsured, 9 million are not US Citizens. Another 9 million American families make more than $75,000 and choose not to have health care. More than 1/2 million Americans over the age of 65 qualify for Medicare but choose not to have it. 30% of people 18-24 have no health coverage, but from my own experience I didn't think I needed it anyways.
The statistics on health care are being skewed to put the government in charge of our health. You know best how to provide health care for yourself and family. We cannot let our government, which cannot estimate the seriousness of our economic meltdown attempt to keep us healthy. It is a very bad idea.

[jpo2009]

Of the 47 million uninsured, 9 million are not US Citizens. Another 9 million American families make more than $75,000 and choose not to have health care. More than 1/2 million Americans over the age of 65 qualify for Medicare but choose not to have it. 30% of people 18-24 have no health coverage, but from my own experience I didn't think I needed it anyways.
The statistics on health care are being skewed to put the government in charge of our health. You know best how to provide health care for yourself and family. We cannot let our government, which cannot estimate the seriousness of our economic meltdown attempt to keep us healthy. It is a very bad idea.

[NBCMichael]

Cost shifting

Why does a four day hospital stay cost $21,000?

America was hooked on health care the way junkies were hooked on smack. The dealer gave free samples until the client was hooked.

When I was a young man and America was the world?s manufacturer. Factories provided free and complete health insurance as part of the benefits package. Because it was free it was abused. Mom took children to the emergency room for a rash and to the doctor for a small cut. Demand was artificially high.

Over time manufacturing jobs moved overseas and were replaced with lower paying service economy jobs. And employers offered health insurance with less coverage and higher deductibles. Was it because America could not compete with manufacturers in countries where government paid for health care. Irregardless, American leaders signed GATT and NAFTA into law!

And America?s leaders permitted millions of illegal aliens to cross the border to do work American?s would not do. Our schools educated their children, our State governments gave them drivers licenses, our banks granted them mortgages and our hospitals provided them health care.

Robin Hood wears whites. Patients with good insurance policies and patients with no insurance policies received inflated invoices to cover the costs of those who could not pay. Hospitals robbed from the rich to provide health care for the poor.

President Obama made the analogy everyone should have to buy health insurance just like every motorist is required to buy auto insurance. But people choose to own a car. Were you asked if you wanted to be born?

If government run universal health care is the answer then private insurance has no place at the table. Where is freedom when government has the power to tell you how to spend after tax dollars? Requiring elderly and the poor to buy health insurance will force some to give up food or shelter!

Nonetheless, since everyone will have government health care, the cost of a hospital stay should be reduced to the price of a high end hotel! Cost shifting will have been replaced by the treasury printing more money.

WAKE UP AMERICA!

Real wealth cannot be created with a printing press. It only creates inflation. Congress must do away with the Fed and reclaim responsibility for regulating the money supply.

Do not bail out failed corporations. Allow free enterprise to transfer wealth to companies that make good decisions.

Do not impose new mileage and pollution requirements on an automobile industry already reeling from a failing economy.

Do not pass Cap and Trade. It will increase the cost of energy and exacerbate America?s failing economy and oppress the poor and middle class.

Do create new jobs in America and keep the wealth here: The Germans fought WWII with synthetic gas produced from coal. America has 1/4th of the coal reserves on Earth. Liquefy coal and declare energy independence from Arab enemies. Now that is sustainable!

[WWWoDEMOCRATZoORG]

"First they laugh at you,
then they ignore you,
then they fight you,
then you win."
Gandhi *

Read and sign these legislative petitions please and get hundreds of people to sign them.

http://www.change.org/actions/view/stop_calling_our_party_the_democrat_party_

This petition below includes a demand to fix the lousy Medicare Part D that does not help the middle class.

http://www.change.org/actions/view/i_demand_congress_and_the_president_enact_single_payer_universal_health_care


http://www.change.org/actions/view/i_demand_congress_and_the_president_enact_the_employee_free_choice_act

http://www.change.org/actions/view/i_demand_that_the_congress_and_the_president_enact_a_10_an_hour_minimum_wage_into_law

http://www.change.org/actions/view/i_demand_that_norm_coleman_concede_the_senate_race

http://www.change.org/actions/view/i_demand_that_the_congress_and_the_president_enact_the_womens_freedom_of_choice_act_into_law

[phantom345]

i think socialized medicine imean a national healthcare system is a great idea, In fact i think the govt is much better in handleing financial matters than my wife and I, i should give the govt 80% of our income and let them handle the payment and procurement of our health insurance, car insurance, life insurance, retirement( oh wait they do that already?? its called social security?? really, how does that work out for everyone) rent, utilities, food and clothing. If we are so sure that the govt is better at this and can get a better deal in economies of scale lets let them handle all of it, how does that sound?

[lilvinnyb]

The first thing I noticed is the way this question is phrased. Perhaps it should read, "Should the US federal government PAY for universal health care for all, despite the cost".
It should be followed up with, "Are you willing to accept a tax increase to pay for it".?

[shoney2525]

Read the entire results. You will find they use different percents of democrats to rupublicans (last page). Not to mention some of the questions contradict themselves. Oh well best to get the results you want.

[swemichael]

What is annoying about this entire subject is that the American public is almost entirely ignorant of the pro's and con's of socialized medicine. Thanks to news organizations like the very ones who conducted this poll (Wash Post & NY Times).

Here's something they will never print, from the London Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=GMHKU2N4VERS3QFIQMGSFFOAVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/2007/03/02/nhs02.xml&posted=true&_requestid=528602

It is a lovely tale of how the NHS (National Health Service) completely completely mishandled the flow of doctors, resulting in thousands of unemployed and unemployable doctors. As any economist will tell you, the government will never be more efficient than the market!!!

Don't want all those Americans reading something like that (!) before we vote for socialized medicine, right? An ignorant voter is the best voter.

[cbsnewslies]

Lets see, CBS and the New York Times? It's fixed.

[midwestdoc]

Quack? Liar? Don't you have any creative thought than this? Is this the best you can do but mere ad hominem attacks?

For the record, I detest insurance companies and only wish we had greater competition (not less like socialized medicine would provide). My opinions come from working face to face with this problem daily in the ER, clinics, the local VA, etc. Come and visit sometime, I'll show you how great socialized medicine is at the VA.

[midwestdoc]

What is annoying is to watch rudy654 copy/paste one line out of many posts only to follow his chop-job with his own irrational and idiotic rants.

[rudy654-2009]

"You're posts are nothing but pure idiocy."

And you're a quack and a liar, spreading pure urban myth for the sake of the insurance company you work for.

[rudy654-2009]

"What is annoying about this entire subject.."

What's annoying is watching the same people spam the exact same word for word message several times in a day, as if that proves something.

[swemichael]

What is annoying about this entire subject is that the American public is almost entirely ignorant of the pro's and con's of socialized medicine. Thanks to news organizations like the very ones who conducted this poll (Wash Post & NY Times).

Here's something they will never print, from the London Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=GMHKU2N4VERS3QFIQMGSFFOAVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/2007/03/02/nhs02.xml&posted=true&_requestid=528602

It is a lovely tale of how the NHS (National Health Service) completely completely mishandled the flow of doctors, resulting in thousands of unemployed and unemployable doctors. As any economist will tell you, the government will never be more efficient than the market!!!

Don't want all those Americans reading something like that (!) before we vote for socialized medicine, right? An ignorant voter is the best voter.

[swemichael]

What is annoying about this entire subject is that the American public is almost entirely ignorant of the pro's and con's of socialized medicine. Thanks to news organizations like the very ones who conducted this poll (Wash Post & NY Times).

Here's something they will never print, from the London Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=GMHKU2N4VERS3QFIQMGSFFOAVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/2007/03/02/nhs02.xml&posted=true&_requestid=528602

It is a lovely tale of how the NHS (National Health Service) completely completely mishandled the flow of doctors, resulting in thousands of unemployed and unemployable doctors. As any economist will tell you, the government will never be more efficient than the market!!!

Don't want all those Americans reading something like that (!) before we vote for socialized medicine, right? An ignorant voter is the best voter.

[swemichael]

What is annoying about this entire subject is that the American public is almost entirely ignorant of the pro's and con's of socialized medicine. Thanks to news organizations like the very ones who conducted this poll (Wash Post & NY Times).

Here's something they will never print, from the London Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=GMHKU2N4VERS3QFIQMGSFFOAVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/2007/03/02/nhs02.xml&posted=true&_requestid=528602

It is a lovely tale of how the NHS (National Health Service) completely completely mishandled the flow of doctors, resulting in thousands of unemployed and unemployable doctors. As any economist will tell you, the government will never be more efficient than the market!!!

Don't want all those Americans reading something like that (!) before we vote for socialized medicine, right? An ignorant voter is the best voter.

[swemichael]

What is annoying about this entire subject is that the American public is almost entirely ignorant of the pro's and con's of socialized medicine. Thanks to news organizations like the very ones who conducted this poll (Wash Post & NY Times).

Here's something they will never print, from the London Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=GMHKU2N4VERS3QFIQMGSFFOAVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/2007/03/02/nhs02.xml&posted=true&_requestid=528602

It is a lovely tale of how the NHS (National Health Service) completely completely mishandled the flow of doctors, resulting in thousands of unemployed and unemployable doctors. As any economist will tell you, the government will never be more efficient than the market!!!

Don't want all those Americans reading something like that (!) before we vote for socialized medicine, right? An ignorant voter is the best voter.

[midwestdoc]

rudy654,

You're posts are nothing but pure idiocy.

Tons of us here have posted how bad socialist health care is. We know - we have lived there (myself in Japan)...and others in Canada, U.K., etc. I have family currently in China, Japan, and Germany. My wife lived in Birmingham, England. She knows that the only people who get any decent health care there are the very rich. The middle class? They are stuck on waiting lists for weeks and months just to see a PCP much less a specialist.

Maybe you should back up some of your moronic posts with some facts and research....or at the very least some personal experiences. Instead you blindly call any poster who disagrees with you a "liar". Maybe you should do something to substantiate your drivel.

Socialism: spreading misery equally.