Amidst all of the supposed “grassroots” opposition to President Obama’s healthcare reform plans, a Bloomberg News poll recently found that 8 out of 10 Americans actually support the President’s goals to change the U.S. healthcare system. In fact, 8 out of 10 of those polled, support covering the uninsured, curbing costs, creating an insurance-purchasing exchange, and preventing insurers from dropping or refusing coverage to people with preexisting conditions.
The poll, conducted September 10-14, found that 48% of respondents favored Obama’s plan, while 42% oppose it. Moreover, respondents felt that Obama’s September 9th speech helped debunk false rumors. In fact, 6 out of 10 respondents do not believe that Obama would set up “death panels” to decide who would receive care, or that federal money would be used to provide abortions. Similarly, respondents did not believe that Obama plans to cover illegal immigrants—despite what South Carolina Representative Joe Wilson might say.
However, what does seem to be the problem is the cost of healthcare reform. What most Americans are concerned about is the legislation contributing to the federal budget deficit. Nevertheless, the majority of those polled stated that employers should have to offer insurance, and that individuals should be required to have coverage. Most telling of Americans’ attitudes toward healthcare reform is that 6 out of 10 of those polled felt that the current healthcare system has problems that need to be fixed. Who’s to blame for most of the healthcare system’s problems? According to most polltakers, insurance companies are the biggest culprits, followed by pharmaceutical companies. In fact, 50% viewed health insurers unfavorably, while more than half blamed pharmaceutical companies.
