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.

[bellal-2009]

Wait a minute they just said Medicare was going to bankrupt America. If that's true what's universal health care going to do.

[dallison7]

So many challenged people in this country simply cannot understand the concept of universal health care. It would be a tremendous improvement from our current system of waste. This country has approximately 47 million uninsured citizens. Those people do not have health insurance because they cannot afford it. When they get sick, flu or anything else, they go to the emergency room because law requires all emergency rooms to give them care without collecting fees if they cannot afford it. The cost of these fees is passed on to the rest of us in the form of taxes and higher medical costs. Emergency rooms at hospitals all across the country are jammed with these people. Wait times at the ER where my wife works is sometimes as much as 12 hours.

Further, the average cost of a visit to the emergency room is $1500, while the cost of a visit to a primary care provider is $75.

If we had a universal health care system everyone with non-emergency problems would be directed to primary care clinics as opposed to 47 million of them showing up at emergency rooms.

If this 47 million people only visit the doctor once every two years the savings would be $33 billion per year.

[bellal-2009]

dallison7, you keep repeating yourself on this issue. Everyone knows the emergency room situation.

[bellal-2009]

It's not sustainable. The whole thing needs reform and also education for the young to save for their retirement.

[rhs648]

"Wait a minute they just said Medicare was going to bankrupt America. If that's true what's universal health care going to do."

Not only that, we are told that social security is in trouble. On top of that, we are told that America can't afford the new prescription benefit for the elderly. Do we trust that universal health care will fare any better? Government control means fewer choices, less freedom to choose your own doctor, medical rationing, and long waits for treatment, sometimes months. Just ask the Candians and the British, two pioneers of universal health care. And will government do it for less?

[bellal-2009]

Exactly, rhs648. Not only that but it will stagnate R&D. I mean it's good in theory to have the govt. find cures for disease but govt. can't do ANYTHING anymore. Everything it touches turns to an expensive mess.

[peta7-2009]

I think you have to ask yourself...where do we cap national healthcare? The funds will not be endless. Social Security is a set fee per month. Health care is not! If your mother has a malignant illness that requires a medication that costs $2000/wk (and that can be a much higher number) and she is on this indefinitely but it will prolong her life for months to years wouldn't you want her to have that. I would. Now, multiply this woman by hundreds of thousands with cancer, as well as the people with various other illness. This would simply destroy our "national health care" fund. Socialized medicine is simply disasterous to those who CAN afford health coverage. Why punish the majority to MINIMALLY cover the minority? I believe that we have to find a middle ground. If we do not, you will see a mass exodus of physicians, major hospitals will nearly shut down and the millions they employ will be out. The quality of care will precipitously plunge as waits to get into see the doctor that is not even your first choice multiply by 10 fold. Think this through. Liberals fall hardcore to the SOCIAL system, and some repubs think that the capital market is the way to go. USE previous examples and find a compromise!

[bellal-2009]

Well put, PETA.

[john_galt27]

I love reading comments about evil Republicans and stupid liberals. The best thing one can do is live in a Socialist country, which I have for ten years +. You find that there is an element of people who love socialist medicine cause they do like paying for it and mostly do not want to work. They want their money to be spent on what they want, no what they need. The other group has to pay the socialist tax, plus get their own private insurance so they actually get service. So when we talk about how great socialist medicine is, obviously those who agree either never lived in a foreign Country, love to have coverage so they can spend money on what they want, love to have no choices, love to be told sorry you are too old for heart surgery, and at the end of the day, do not desire Freedom. Grow up and stop being little children.

[ateamatl]

Who would not want everyone to have medical insurance? I was watching CSPAN in the middle of the night [within the last two weeks] and Tony Blair was involved in a Q & A. The panel was trying to resolve the long standing problem with national health care - the waiting time to get to a doctor. I was very surprised to hear Tony Blair tell the panel a huge problem is cancer treatment. Their main goal Blair said was to eventually get the wait down to 6 months. The short time goal is to reduce the wait for cancer patients to get treatment to One (1) Year! A a cancer survivor who has some pre-cancerous cells now in my body, I would never want to wait on my government to get the chemo treatment I needed. My daughter-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 27 & 7 months pregnant. There were a team of doctors - doctors she trust & chose - who timed surgery while she was still pregnant & a C-Section to deliver the baby at the most safe time so she could start chemo treatments. What if she had to wait on the GOVERNMENT? I 100% do NOT trust the U.S. Congress to get anything right anymore. Do your readers have any idea that many countries who have national health care - Denmark, Sweden, UK and many others give 50-70% of their income to the government for lousy health care....they come the rich come to America for health care.

[realist1973]

There is both a tremendous amount of misinformation and naiveti associated with the issue of universal healthcare. The left wants to change the system, so they do most of the 'research' and conduct the polls. Take for example the oft quoted 47 million "Americans." What they don't tell you is that 1/4 of these 47 million uninsured people are illegal Americans. Why are illegal immigrants included in this number other than to wildly inflate it? And how many of the remaining 35 million (still a large number, I agree) are between the ages of 18 and 25 and choose to own a cell phone and make car payments on their new Jetta instead of paying for health insurance? We'll never know because these important details do not serve the left's purpose.
Naive statements from other posters abound: "If we had a universal health care system everyone with non-emergency problems would be directed to primary care clinics as opposed to 47 million of them showing up at emergency rooms." The fact is, even a Medicaid population that has full access to primary care during normal business hours still often chooses to come to the ER on the weekend because they're working during the week or because it better suits them for one reason or another. They'll still do it with universal healthcare. There's also the too common fallacy that all of our healthcare woes will be solved through preventative medicine. Let's leave it at this: you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him want a colonoscopy.

[ateamatl]

As a cancer patient, I would not want to wait for the government to tell me which doctor I have to see. I would not want to face the challenge people in the UK are facing - over a year on the waiting list for cancer treatment. I listened to Tony Blair on CSPAN express is long term goal is to get the wait to 6 months. Short term goal 12 months. I do NOT trust the U.S. Congress to get anyting right anymore. They blame each other from one election to the next. They along with the media have made a mockery of very serious problems. Who would not vote for everyone to have health care insurance? But who do I believe in the media? I certainly do not belive there are more than a handful of politicians who give a flip about me & my family.

[jpdunlop]

The mantra chanted over the past decade "universal healthcare" has been repeated so often by the liberal politicians and media that people like its nice sound, even though they don't even think through about what it truly means...which is "CERTAIN DISASTER"!

Having lived in the U.K. for several years - you really don't want to go there for healthcare (universal or otherwise). We are becoming a socialistic "I want everything for nothing" land of losers.

[realist1973]

I agree jpdunlop. Everyone wants the best care possible, but they don't want to pay for it.

[rhs648]

SHOULD GOVERNMENT GUARANTEE HEALTH INSURANCE FOR ALL? Yes 64%

If the comments tonight represent how American's think, American's would not choose universal health care. One really has to question the CBS survey results. Perhaps everyone who responded lives on a commune.

[ateamatl]

dallison7 - "If this 47 million people only visit the doctor once every twol years the savings would be $33 billion per year."

Anyone can play with numbers, but how many politicians can you add up that you trust to get it right? While you may be highly educated, it does not take a rocket scientist to use common sense...

What works on paper while you crunch the numbers doesn't always work in theory - in real life situations.

How much will each individual pay in taxes for universal health care?

How many people will be working when all the baby boomers are retired or dead?

I will never want the government running my health care. They are in our lives too much already.

[amarajo]

According to Robert Wood Johnson Foundation%u2019s "State Coverage Initiative" (SCI) statistics for 2004, 9.5 million of the 45.8 million uninsured are NOT American citizens.

Uninsured non-citizens are problem best addressed through immigration policy, not health care policy. World-wide, there are billions of uninsured non-citizens, and our problem is not that our health care system doesn%u2019t cover them, but that we let too many of them into the country.

Most of the rest of the uninsured are simply practicing "just-in-time" insurance. From the SCI study: only about 50% of the people who are eligible for Medicaid coverage are enrolled in it.

37.5 million are enrolled in Medicare (of whom 2.7 million are non-citizens), so presumably another 37.5 million people qualify and are not enrolled. But enrollment when no health problem is on the horizon, while it might be the responsible thing to do, is probably not worth the trouble for many of those people.

So the vast majority of the uninsured are either non-citizens or could be insured if they chose to enroll in Medicaid. People in the latter group can obtain coverage when they decide they need it. Even allowing for some overlap, this accounts for almost all the uninsured.

[nobiggov]

You get what you pay for. You honestly think the government is going to give the masses the best healthcare? No. You are going to get the "c" student doctors and you are going to get the worst possible care. Think free clinic.
The fundamental problem is that we are letting the insurance companies and the drug companies control what is happening. If the insurance companies don't want to pay for a procedure - they don't (even if you need it). If the drug companies want to make money - they advertise some great new pill that will give you uncontrollable bowels, but it has a catchy song to go with it. You will ask your doctor and the doctor will give it to you.
The Doctors have no control anymore and they are the ones with the education! Not the insurance company. The insurance companies hold this hammer over the doctor's (and hospital's) heads nearly forcing them to be a part of this plan or that plan just so patients can come to their office or that particular hospital. Socialized medicine is not the answer, but letting the insurance companies hold the sledgehammer is not either.

1200 polled people represents 26 million Americans? I think this survey is flawed. Also, interesting how the (mis)article begins as a Health Care issue and ends as a Bush bashing article. Only at CBS.

[shane807]

Universal Health care has failed in every country that has it. It is the topic of budgets and how many services they must cut or how much to raise taxes to keep what they have. How can anyone look at our health care, then look at Canada, Britian or Australia and say "gosh, that would be an improvement". What law makers don't do is take out our elective surgery, Like ACL repair or a shoulder surgery which you would have a very tough time getting on anything that resembles a reasonable schedule in those countries. Universal Health care is the death knell to the economy. Feel free to look at any country, and I mean any country at all that has Universal Health care by the government and see how bad it can be. Our system isn't perfect, but it ain't that bad.

[amarajo]

The argument is often made that we pay more for health care than other countries. We probably also pay more for pets, bungee jumping and most other things because we are richer. But the other reason may be that nobody counts the non-financial costs, like the extra year or two of pain and disability suffered by someone who must wait for knee surgery like the Canadians, or the extra weeks of fear and uncertainty of someone who must wait to see a cancer specialist, or the extra hours of waiting for a unionized medical staff to acknowledge your appointment.

For thirty years I've purchased my own medical insurance at extremely reasonable rates and chosen my own doctors, made my own treatment decisions and haven't had to wade through "gatekeepers" and bureaucrats.

I've watched as this system took less than two weeks to get my sister from a spot on her chest X-ray through a CT scan, diagnosis, pulmonoligist evaluation, surgeon's evaluation and lung cancer surgery; I've watched as it kept my father alive to age 81, more than 12 years after diagnosis of lymphoma, with a new chemotherapy developed and ready for him each time he went out of remission. I like this system just fine.

[jebby_one]

Get real !!

Any poll taken by the New York Times should be suspect.

This is not an honest news story. It's an attempt to exploit dissatisfaction over the cost of health care and advance the political interest of the New Yoprk Times.

BTW ... why would people who receive free health care or heavily subsidized health care services be concerned about it's cost?

[jebby_one]

Most Americans believe government can play a role in fixing the health care system.

Ha haaa haaaa.

Where was this poll taken? In the New York Times employee cafeteria?

Think Social Security! They can't even run that and they want to run healthcare???? Please don't do us any favors...

[picklesb8536]

Billery Clinton says that Americans aren't smart enough to make decisions for ourselves, this poll would be proof of that! Universal health care would create more suffering and death in this country for those who have already taken responsibility for there own health care. If you want the govt. to take responsibility, then you will see a bankrupt system, waiting to fall apart just like social security. It can be fixed now, but it's better for govt. if it remains a system in crisis.

[patsat-2009]

Leagal or Illegal Americans? Who is going to pay for the health care at the tune of $200.00 a month per person? The Rich? How will they get the money? Raise the prices of the goods they produce? Or Cut Pay on their employees?? Get real "America"!

[christy623]

Of course Americans want FREE healthcare because the average American thinks that someone else is going to pay it. We aren't being Americans anymore!! Get ready to wait in line for important treatments....till we are DEAD. I don't think American people know just what is in store if we have Universal Health Care. Don't get me started about the illegals either.

[amarajo]

To paraphrase Winston Churchill, the inherent vice of our health care system is the unequal sharing of its blessings. The blessing of a socialized one will be an equal sharing of the misery.

But just as Al Gore can lecture us on global warming and demand we downsize our economy while air conditioning his 10,000 square foot house and traveling in private jets and limousines, don't expect that Hillary will wait in line at the DC Universal Health Care Clinic for her annual check-up. Their lives are too important to be inconvenienced.

Politicians can force the middle class and even the moderately rich to share the miseries of the poor, but the political nomenklatura will always exempt itself.

[bigkahuna771]

I want it, and I want it now, it costs to much, and I don't want to have to pay for it!!

Friends, I think we may have a problem here.......don't you??

[jebby_one]

someone proclaims:

Emergency rooms at hospitals all across the country are jammed with these people. Wait times at the ER where my wife works is sometimes as much as 12 hours.

Further, the average cost of a visit to the emergency room is $1500, while the cost of a visit to a primary care provider is $75.

If anyone wanted to solve the so-called emergency-room problem they could do so very simply by putting up a sign at the ER door directing those without real emergencies to a wait-in-line clinic and BINGO the per-average-patient would be immediately reduced by $1,425 per non-real-emergency visit.

BUT, no one really seems to want to solve the so-called ER crisis. Maybe because it's not really a crisis but a lot of hot air by those with a political agenda.

[devan95]

CBS only calls people in blue states i.e. Democrats. They cannot be trusted. The poll did not tell people that socialized medicine is unConsitutional and would require ALL incomes to be taxed at the 70% or higher level. This is just more of the liberal agenda & if it's so great why do Canadiens come to America for health care.

[linkchl]

"Most Americans...Give Democrats Edge On Improving System"

After the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Plan, I'd give the Mickey Mouse Club an "Edge On Improving System". That doesn't mean I want Goofy making my medical decisions for me or trying to run the system.

A different thought: A common justification for seat belt laws is that the state picks up the tab for catastrophic medical injuries following an auto accident. I don't argue against the wisdom of wearing a seat belt but if the State has the responsibility for everybody's medical well being what powers can it assume with respect to diet, excercise, smoking, etc. Seems sort of alarmist but with the recent discussions about trans fats in Europe and New York, I wonder some times.

[jebby_one]

The US government sometimes does a pretty phiss-poor job at providing health care services for our Veterans who have service connected illnesses or injuries.

Now veterans are a pretty powerful group with bhalls to speak up and demand services they are due. They have political muscles, they are educated, they are connected, and they have an army of advocates that will help them get that due.

I can only imagine the quality of health care services that powerless and poor children will get from the US government.

[hawksprings]

amarajo's post should be required reading and memorized by all:

"To paraphrase Winston Churchill, the inherent vice of our health care system is the unequal sharing of its blessings. The blessing of a socialized one will be an equal sharing of the misery.

But just as Al Gore can lecture us on global warming and demand we downsize our economy while air conditioning his 10,000 square foot house and traveling in private jets and limousines, don't expect that Hillary will wait in line at the DC Universal Health Care Clinic for her annual check-up. Their lives are too important to be inconvenienced.

Politicians can force the middle class and even the moderately rich to share the miseries of the poor, but the political nomenklatura will always exempt itself."

Posted by amarajo at 10:43 PM : Mar 01, 2007

[jebby_one]

someone says ...

quote: CBS only calls people in blue states

well, they can't call me. I'm on the NO CALL registry. If they tried i'd report them!

[blrichard]

Providing health care to all Americans will be costly. Americans are just going to have to acknowledge that. But if we provide health care to every American, it will eventually pay for itself because healthier individuals are more productive individuals. They'll work harder and longer. They can concentrate on their education and career. It will pay for itself with a smarter, healthier and yes, wealthier, nation. It is the moral thing to do and it put our beloved country on much stronger footing to deal with emerging rivals like China, in the future.

[hawksprings]

Have you memorized amarajo's post yet?

"But just as Al Gore can lecture us on global warming and demand we downsize our economy while air conditioning his 10,000 square foot house and traveling in private jets and limousines, don't expect that Hillary will wait in line at the DC Universal Health Care Clinic for her annual check-up. Their lives are too important to be inconvenienced.

Politicians can force the middle class and even the moderately rich to share the miseries of the poor, but the political nomenklatura will always exempt itself."

Posted by amarajo at 10:43 PM : Mar 01, 2007

[sweet black angel]

Why is everyone up in a huff?

Universal Health Care is great!!!

Just look at Canada

People are dying to get in the Hospitals up there!

Really dying!!!!

[peta7-2009]

Alot of you out there may be unhappy with health care in its current state, but ALL of you will HATE health care under government control. Look at every other government controlled system. If you want a package to get from New Jersey to California overnight or in two business days would you pick the USPS or UPS? If you have an enlarged prostate and can't sleep through a night without urinating 5 times and want to see a doctor in a day or two...would you pick the Canadian health system or the one you can pick up the phone and see the physician that YOU WANT to see the next day??? Please think this through, b/c as miserable as an enlarged prostate or UTI is, there are many conditions out there that cause much more misery and are life-threatening. Bypass...sorry, you have to wait 8 months. Lymphoma, well...if you can make it 6 more months we MAY have a spot for you, and it will only be the most basic generic medications available!

[principled]

This is just more marketing propaganda from the left. They really think that we're all ignorant.

It's no wonder your ratings are so low, and NYT's subscription rate is declining.

Think about this:

We have an enemy who is willing to die for their cause.
What do you think will happen when they get nukes?

Health care won't matter much then, will it.

[waynep7]

It is always embarrassing reading how misinformed and often utterly stupid Americans are, as are most of these posts.

Only two countries in the industrial world are unable to insure all their citizens, South Africa and the US. Why is that?

If Americans traveled more they would understand that it is easy to insure every citizen. Instead all we get are the continual re-tread tired old Right Wing ***. It is the insurance companies and big medicine that wants the status quo, and these peons who rabbit the same old rubbish about "socialized medicine" need to get a brain.

[principled]

This is just more marketing propaganda from the left. They really think that we're all ignorant.

It's no wonder your ratings are so low, and NYT's subscription rate is declining.

Think about this:

We have an enemy who is willing to die for their cause.
What do you think will happen when they get nukes?

Health care won't matter much then, will it.

[objectivtrue]

CBS = left wing propaganda machine

[objectivtrue]

CBS = left wing propaganda machine

[jontan88]

Rightwingers (who usually have no problem getting their own of government health care like Medicare) like to use Canada as an "example" of a "lousy" health care system. Doubtless they have NO persnal experience of the actual Canadian health care system but usually rely on what they hear from the dominant rightwing media like Fox and the all pervasive rightwing talk shows. I lived in Canada for many years and know of NO Canadian who would prefer the American system over their own. Some Americans I personally know have to choose between their medications or food. This is the "best system" in the world??? Yeah.... only in the rightwing's mind.... and only for someone else... not them.

[jontan88]

I have a suggestion, if the US ever joined the rest of the world in guaranteeing health care for all its citizens, rightwingers should just opt out and make a point of choosing to not be covered by a single payer plan. I wonder how many of the really stupid poor rightwingers (as opposed to the wealthy and powerful whose bidding their unknowingly do) have opted out of Medicare??? Otherwise, they should just shut their traps and let the rest of us to choose to be covered by a single payer plan. Only in America do you get idiots who so willingly vote against their own interests in the name of ideology. Oh well...

As a Medicare patient I can assure you that a Medicare-for-all system is not just workable but can be provided for the same 15% of GDP we are spending today. And we'll cover 100% rather than 85%, and there will be no wait times as in Canada.

Only those with a vested interest do not want to see the current inefficiencies eliminated. The ignorance of the right-wingers here is amazing.

[whitemoong]

Universal Health Care would be great!

All people, rich or poor, would be "insured." It would be like everyone has a "free" year round season pass to the top amusement park.

Only problem is when everyone finds out the park is almost always CLOSED. And, we just bankrupted our country making sure everybody has the same "free" pass to the park that's almost always closed!

[djm159]

I don't understand when America became such an entitlement society. Be careful what you wish for. Hillarycare advocates "for the good of all" euthanasia for those 70 and above with a catastrophic illness. Socialized medicine is not necessary in the United States. What is necessary is for tort lawyers (ambulance chasers) such as John Edwards to stop the frivoulous lawsuits. The man is living in a 123 million dollar house paid for by suing drug companies, doctors and hospitals. The unfortunate among us already have healthcare in the form of Medicaid. Since when did America become an entitlement country? I know I don't want this government,especially one controlled by Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Ted Kennedy and John Kerry to dictate how I live. Let France have socialism. If the Canadian healthcare is so terrific why do they all come here for care?

[yellowblue-2009]

"Health Care is not a 'Right'"
http://www.afcm.org/hcinar.html