Kaiser Family Foundation Poll Says Reform Support Growing Again
A poll released Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation suggests that more Americans now than in August believe the country's health care system needs to be reformed.
The poll says that 57 percent - up from 53 percent in August - believe reform is now "more important than ever," USA Today's On Politics blog reports. "Still, the results were not entirely rosy. Nearly five in 10 people said they support letting lawmakers work longer to find a bipartisan solution. And while 68% said they are 'hopeful' about the legislation, 58% also said they are 'frustrated' and 31% said they are 'angry'" (9/29).
The Boston Globe's Political Intelligence blog: "The proportion of Americans who believe their families would be better off after an overhaul is up six percentage points to 42 percent and the proportion who think that the country would be better off is up eight points to 53 percent. Also according to the survey, most Americans support the principles at the core of the bills supported by President Obama and congressional Democrats, including a requirement that individuals obtain coverage (68 percent), a mandate that most employers offer coverage (67 percent), and an expansion of Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (82 percent)" (Rhee, 9/29).
The Chicago Tribune's The Swamp blog: "While 49 percent of the Republicans surveyed say their family would be worse off if health reform passes, that is down from 61 in August. The percentage of independents saying they would be worse off fell from 36 percent in August to 26 percent this month.
"Democrats remain overwhelmingly in favor of tackling health care now (77 percent, while most Republicans say we cannot afford to do so (63 percent). Independents are divided (51in favor, 44 opposed)" (Silva, 9/29).