Poll: Voters Reject Health Care Mandate Without Public Option, Medicare Buy-In
Gandalf Grey
Buy-In
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/12/18-9
by Rachel Weiner
A new poll suggests that voters are not pleased by the idea of health
insurance mandates without a public option or a Medicare expansion.
Conducted by Research 2000 for the Progressive Change Campaign Committee
(PCCC), the survey finds only 33 percent of likely voters favor a health
care bill that does not include a public health insurance option and does
not expand Medicare, but does require all Americans to get health insurance.
Slightly more Democrats -- 37 percent -- favor the idea, while only 30
percent of Republicans and 31 percent of independents do.
Meanwhile, if the public option and Medicare buy-in are added, 58 percent of
people support the idea. The number of Republican supporters drops to 22
percent, but independent support rises to 57 percent and Democratic support
to a whopping 88 percent.
"This poll shows voters in full-blown revolt against the Senate bill," said
PCCC co-founder Stephanie Taylor. "Only one-third of voters support mandates
without a public option, while nearly two-thirds want the public option and
Medicare expansion. This will be a disaster of epic proportions for
Democrats in 2010 if it's not fixed -- fast."
Another recent poll commissioned by the PCCC found that one third of
Democrats are less likely to vote in 2010 if the health care bill does not
contain a public option.
� 2009 Huffington Post
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amatbus2002
> Poll: Voters Reject Health Care Mandate Without Public Option, Medicare
> by Rachel Weiner
>
> A new poll suggests that voters are not pleased by the idea of health
> insurance mandates without a public option or a Medicare expansion.
>
> Conducted by Research 2000 for the Progressive Change Campaign Committee
> (PCCC), the survey finds only 33 percent of likely voters favor a health
> care bill that does not include a public health insurance option and does
> not expand Medicare, but does require all Americans to get health insurance.
> Slightly more Democrats -- 37 percent -- favor the idea, while only 30
> percent of Republicans and 31 percent of independents do.
It is Benjamin Franklin who said, "He that's secure is not safe."
Insurance is nothing but a safety net, for no one can predict the
future; and that good fortune is not a given; thus, we have a moral
obligation to make sure everybody gets on board onto this safety net.
If few people use the service while everybody pays, then it would
certainly drive down the cost sharing part of health care
expenditure. But I am not at all certain about whether it is a good
idea to expand Medicare to cover people of younger ages. I have my
own insurance. And I have been both grateful and lucky enough that I
do not require any medical attention in the past couple of years. But
my mom passed away at a relative young age with cancer. So, I learned
my lesson and max out my coverage.
I do support the idea of an public option, however. I see it as a way
to introduce innovation through competition. Things cannot stay the
same and us heading towards the same direction if we knew that we were
heading towards a cliff. There needs to be a change in direction and
focus, if we were to be able to make a 90 degree turn. That is done
by introducing another gorilla into the system. Sometimes, the brakes
aren't as effective in avoiding a collision when we lose traction as
the steering wheel when we can keep traction at bay. And traction
means a continuation of the current system, the existing system, in
this transition. Things may turn out to be okay. Who knows? But it
is time to do something.
As Benjamin Franklin further admonishes us, "By failing to prepare, we
are preparing to fail." Insoucience and inaction is no longer an
option. By having poor people who can't afford insurance go to the
emergency room to get routine care is the sure way to sink the system;
everybody pays in the end, anyway. Besides, this clogs up the EMT for
real emergency situation. We should be able to manage this system
more efficiently than we now have.
Two days ago I was in a store; a woman received a call on her
cellphone from the collection agency saying that she is late in her 30-
days notice. She had not been able to get a job for the past few
months, though she was to start a new job the next day. She had part
of the money in her bank account, but she's lacking $145. This is a
decent human being who's just happened to be in a bad fix. I didn't
want her to lose her dignity. Since I don't usually carry much cash
with me, I went to the ATM a block away to take out some money; pay it
forward, I'd planned to tell her. But by the time I got back, she was
gone. Everybody does need some help, sometimes (hopefully, not all
the time). Amen. The point is: we can all help somebody with their
bills sometimes, but not medical bill whether it could stack up to be
thousands of dollars a month. Nobody plans to be sick, seriously
sick. That's what insurance coverages are for.
Everybody needs to get onboard, somehow. Maybe after a couple years,
the actual demand and supply for medical services would achieve a new
equilibrium. That's when we can start taking a look how to increase
the efficiency of this new balance. But the time to do nothing is
over.
Those who govern, having much business on their hands,
do not generally like to take the trouble of considering
and carrying into execution new projects.
The best public measures are therefore seldom adopted from
previous wisdom, but forced by the occasion.
~ Benjamin Franklin
This is the occasion.
God First, Country Second, Party Last.
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