Survey: Healthcare reform less valuable than pizza
By Dave Cook | 07.01.09
As President Obama heads Wednesday to suburban Virginia to sell his healthcare plan to the public, he got some sobering news from a new poll showing the majority of Americans aren’t willing to chip in even the cost of a weekly cheese pizza to fund reform.
A new Quinnipiac University national poll finds that a slim plurality of voters would pay more to reform the healthcare system – 49 percent who would versus 45 percent who wouldn’t. But of those willing to pay more to reform healthcare, 72 percent did not want to pay more than $500 a year.
A low budget for reform
“Seven out of 10 voters aren’t willing to chip in what amounts to the price of a cheese pizza per week – without extra toppings – to finance an overhaul,” Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a statement. “Opposition to paying any additional taxes ranges from 40 percent among lower-paid voters to 52 percent among those making more than $100,000 year.”
That weak level of support is a major challenge for the Obama administration and one reason the president is traveling to Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale for a town-hall meeting. The White House will take questions for the session from Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. The forum will be moderated by senior White House adviser and long-time Obama friend Valerie Jarrett.
Government plan not for me
The Quinnipiac pollsters found that 69 percent of voters say Americans should have the option of selecting government-run health insurance. Mr. Obama’s support for a public option has run into strong opposition from Republicans on Capitol Hill, who see it as a violation of their free-market philosophy.
The fact that nearly 7 in 10 Americans support a government health insurance option does not mean they would use it. In the Quinnipiac poll, only 28 percent said they would choose to be covered by a government plan, calling into question how deep their support for a public option is.
“American voters want their fellow countrymen to have the option of a public plan, but don’t want a public plan for themselves because they are personally satisfied with their healthcare,” Brown said. “That presents a challenge to those who want Americans to pay more to reform the system.”
Don’t tax my health benefits
Those surveyed by Quinnipiac overwhelmingly oppose a new tax on healthcare benefits to pay for reforms, by an overwhelming 63 to 30 percent margin. The portion of healthcare insurance premiums paid by employers currently is not subject to tax, a major tax break.
The poll was conducted June 23-29. Some 3,063 voters nationwide were surveyed, and the results have a margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points.
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2. Lucia Waltz | 07.01.09
I am also opposed to a government-run general medical policy in hands of bureaucrats - leave my plan alone. Go ahead and protect the uninsured.
But, why is Congress, the President and governement workers exempt from the proposed health revamp? Are they too good for being included in the Government plan just like the rest of us peasants? Who do they think they are? What is happening to our American
conservative and free way of life? Thank you
3. J Taylor | 07.01.09
Sarah,
I’m not sure where you get the statement that “a large majority of Americans are willing to pay extra…” The poll showed only 49% are willing to pay ANYTHING more and, of those, 72% were willing to pay no more than $500/year. That leaves ~14% (28% of the 49%) of Americans willing to pay a significant amount to reform health care. And I didn’t see anywhere where those folks were described as “eager” to give yet more money and power to the government.
4. Robertsong2 | 07.01.09
This is my first post here. I am being consumed by concerns over Health care reform, and the direction the debate is going. every poll I looked up showed the majority of respondents favor reform, favor a public option, and to a lesser extent, but still a majority favor a single payer option. Ok that is not going to happen, but lets face it, something needs to be done, and the Insurance companies are not going to do it by themselves! If they were, they would have. Even now that a real opportunity appears possible, the insurance companies are increasing premiums. And not by a little. In California one of the largest insurers have increased by over 23%. Justification: Increasing Costs! Who the heck is getting that much increase in pay in this economy? Come on guys, this is getting serious. I fear it may even get ugly. Just not sure which way, I mean apathy is ugly, as much as taking it to the streets in protest. What did Howard Beale (Peter Finch) say in Network: “I am mad as ****, and I’m not going to take it anymore!” Concern I have is the big wigs at the Insurance companies will just smile and say, “Yeah, we win again.” I say NO. I will fight for the right for all citizens to be covered! Taking it to the streets.
5. Christopher Bieda | 07.02.09
100,000,000 individual taxpayers (very conservative number–I know it’s higher, but the IRS website isn’t loading quickly enough) X $500 a head (with overwhelming support) = $50,000,000,000 a year.
$50,000,000,000 / 45,000,000 (uninsured individuals) = $1,111.11 a year.
Nope, the math simply doesn’t add up.
On the subject of the “public option,” it seems to me we have the germ of a public option readily available: The VA system.
We have all heard of the miserable conditions that have been found in VA facilities. The irony is that the patients in them, the most deserving imaginable, are the least likely to complain; they didn’t serve without learning to serve stoically. If the 45,000,000 uninsured were added to the VA system, the addition of forever-civilians would insure that the Congress would mandate better care in it. (This was the [evil, some might argue] genius of Social Security: The more people who have a stake in it, the less likely a stake can be driven in its bureaucratic heart and the more likely it is to widen its reach [disability, lower retirement age, indexed benefits, etc.].)
6. Robertsong2 | 07.02.09
Ms.van Gelder articulates the concern of many. Now let us agree that change is needed, if not for ourselves, for all those around us. Like the 616,000 newly unemployed reported today. Where do they go? Pay the additional 20% using COBRA, what a joke. The desire is there, the majority have spoken. We knew going into the 2008 election, that Health Care would end up on center stage. Its here, its time. How do we overcome the negative attitude in the Senate. Example is Diane Feinstein. Today she finally replied to me, and after translating her comments, her bottom line is “its difficult” We know that. Tell us what you need to get over the “hump” and support at minimum the Public Option. Go all the way to a single payer option, we’d be in nirvana! I say we organize into a coalition of “the willing” I think someone said. Not related of course, but a nice thought. Question: How, where and when!
7. Bobby(YOYO) Morgan | 07.02.09
It wont work!!!!!!! The U.S. Gov. has never had thier hand in anything and made it work except raising taxes. But why worry bout cost. To keep from going broke they just raise taxes. Wouldnt it be nice if you didnt have to worry bout going broke?
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Jimmy Orr has worked in politics for the majority of his professional career working for two U.S. Senators, two Governors and one President. Most recently, Orr served as White House Spokesman and Internet Director for President George W. Bush and Special Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger for Internet Communications.
David Cook is Washington bureau chief of The Christian Science Monitor and host of the Monitor's newsmaker breakfasts. He was the Monitor's editor from 1994 to 2001. Cook is a graduate of Principia College, served in the U.S. Army, was a Bagehot Fellow at Columbia University, and is a member of the Gridiron Club, Washington's oldest journalistic organization.
1. Sarah van Gelder | 07.01.09
The extraordinary thing is that a large majority of Americans are willing and even eager to pay extra to make sure everyone has health care coverage, even during recessionary times, and even if they don’t think they need the coverage themselves.
It’s ironic that some pundits say we shouldn’t have a public option because too many people will choose it. On the other hand, this commentator says there is weak support because “only” 28 percent would immediately ditch their current coverage (if they have any) for the public plan.
The question is, will the politicians let Americans have what large majorities repeatedly say they want — a public option? Or will they give in to insurance industry and drug industry pressure and money and leave us with no choice but the kind of coverage that is failing so many families today.