The Virginian-Pilot
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Most Virginians don't like key aspects of the Democrats' health care reform proposals and believe they will lead to higher taxes and rationing of health care, according to a new poll.
When asked about President Barack Obama's proposal to overhaul health care, 49 percent of likely voters said they oppose it, 39 percent support it and 12 percent are undecided, according to a telephone survey of 625 likely voters.
When asked about two specific elements of health care overhaul legislation - creating a government insurance plan and requiring everyone to have insurance - most of those polled were not supportive.
Fifty-seven percent opposed a government-run plan, compared with 30 percent who favored it. Forty-eight percent opposed requiring everyone to have insurance, while 39 percent said insurance should be mandatory.
Most of those polled also said they believe that health care reform will result in the rationing of health care and will lead to major cuts in Medicare programs.
Predictably, the strongest opposition came from people who identified themselves as Republicans, said Brad Coker, managing director of Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc., which conducted the poll Oct. 6-8. However, most self-described independents also said they didn't like the public option or mandatory insurance and agreed with concerns about rationing and Medicare cuts.
"They are the swing voters, the bellwethers," who can sway elections, Coker said.
The most universal concern of all those polled was the eventual cost to them. Eight of every 10 people polled said they expect that a health care reform plan of close to $1 trillion over 10 years will mean tax increases.
The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Obama has pushed for a health care plan that would include a public option to compete with private insurers but has said he is open to other suggestions if they can drive down health care costs. He estimates his proposal, which would require everyone to have health insurance, would cost about $900 billion over 10 years. He also wants to make it illegal for insurers to deny coverage to anyone for a pre-existing medical condition or to drop people because they become sick.
While the president outlined his vision most recently in a speech last month, the issue is being considered in a series of bills being debated in the House and Senate.
Last week's poll found that Obama tends to have the strongest support for his proposal in Northern Virginia, and a majority of those in other regions of the state oppose his efforts.
Age also played a factor. Support for Obama was strongest among 18- to 34-year-olds, with 47 percent supporting his plan and 41 percent opposing it. But his support dropped steadily with each subsequent age group. Fewer than one of every three people 65 and older favored Obama's proposal.
Members of Congress from Hampton Roads weren't surprised by the results.
U.S. Rep. Randy Forbes, who has been a strong critic of the Democrats' health care overhaul proposals, said the poll affirms what he already knows.
"Anyone who has studied this across the spectrum, they realize just how terrible this health care proposal really is," he said. Forbes, R-4th District, said he has surveyed thousands of medical professionals in his district who say the Democrats' proposals for mandatory insurance would swamp the medical system and lead to rationing care.
Forbes said he wants health care changes made more slowly because the system is "so vast and complex that nobody can predict the ramifications" of a major overhaul.
U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott said that while people might not like some aspects of reform, drastic changes have to be made because the current health care system can no longer sustain itself. Scott, D-3rd District, supports setting up a government health care insurance plan that would compete with private insurers to drive down prices.
"You cannot do that unless you have mandatory coverage," he said, acknowledging that not everyone will like such changes.
"This should not be a game show with an applause meter," he said. "To fix this you are going to have to make unpopular choices."
Bill Bartel, (757) 446-2398, bill.bartel@pilotonline.com
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hocus pocus
"People's Health Care Reform"
Everyone is entitled to one purple unicorn to ride to doctor visits
Leprechaun's will be made available for foot rubs
So why no mention of the penalties to punish plaintiffs and attorneys for friviloous suits against doctors who are unfairly targeted?
Nice think tank we have going here. I am thinking having ALL of the people read any bill is dangerous. As if most could if they tried. Sad.
<strong>How about the “People’s Health Care Reform”:</strong>
“People’s Health Care Reform”:
No ins (insurer) may deny any person coverage.
No ins shall charge any person more than another.
No ins may deny or cancel coverage so long as premiums are paid.
No ins shall require any co-payment.
No Fac/Doc (Facility/Doctor) shall deny full and appropriate care.
No Fac/Doc shall require any co-payment.
No Doctor who has been determined to be guilty of negligent care shall be afforded a right to practice further.
No Fac/Doc/Staff/Gov Agency guilty of covering up a negligence crime shall retain the right to practice further. Criminal sanctions also imposed.
Modification of this Reform: A majority vote by the congress in the light of day with no less than 6 months of debate available to all citizens to review every stitch of the details online. Further absolutely no lobbying of any form by the medical industry.
Hampton Roads Against Healthcare Reform
Of course this area is against healthcare change. The population here is mostly military, civil service, and federal and military retirees--all of whom have access to the finest insurance coverage in the US and no shortage of doctors or medical facilities. This coverage forces private companies in the area to also provide good coverage, further skewing the norm. Hampton Roads (and northern VA) are certainly NOT typical of most of the country when it comes to health insurance. Unfortunately, this makes our area appear to have a parochial (and maybe a little selfish) attitude of, "We've got our insurance--don't mess with it, and we don't care if the rest of you don't have insurance or can't get any." Pretty sad.
Overall I like Obama but I oppose this plan in current form
They really need to have plans that pay for themselves or put into place the habits needed to make the overall population healthy. All these right wingers who oppose regulation should consider that back in the 1920's during the days of laisse-faire, food companies would clean out the pipe and can the rotted waste and then sell it to mostly poor southerners. Once again we need to regulate the junk food industry that is making our overall population fat & girls unattractive. Low self-esteem in young girls can derail the economy believe it or not. When girls r healthy, they generall look good, they feel good & perform good. We need to tax the foods making us sick: fast food, pop, chips, meat with hormones made on large scale & other processed non-necessity foods so that people eat them once in a while and not every day. Use the taxes from this money to fund health/eating habits education, health care. This way we solve the problems at its root. Most of the health problems these day can be attributed to poor eating habits
I would add to that tax on poisoned food...
Poison foods/Beverages are all around us but rather than make us pay to consume these poisons, why don't we just demand that these poisons be outlawed (as they should have been in the first place). Lets start with fluoride. Before you know it, you will be facing criminal charges by the government for feeding your kids these poisons. They will charge you with some sort of excess obesity charge (ADH, ETC). ie.. your son is in excess of the statutory weight guide therefore you are the sole blame (despite the fact the government has taken nearly all disciplinary rights away from parents- gee wonder why?) and the punishment is 2 years behind bars, 50K fine and WE ARE TAKING YOUR SON TOO. Cases very close to this scenario are already being played out Nationwide. Your Government is your servant. Opposing ideology is tyranny. This socialist agenda is being rammed down our throats. WHY???
Polls smolls
I'll start believing what the health insurance lobby is saying when they get serious about their costs and prices - and actually CUT their rates instead of always raising them. Health insurance company executives are as believable as snake oil salesmen.
Get real
"why is it that when someone is serious about trying to fix what so many have disastrously messed up, we become negative?"
It is not new. Many people have been fighting the problems w/ the health care system their whole life. Our arguments have never changed, you just were not listening. Now that it is a political hot potato it is your voice t hat is new. However, to address the subject of the current push, it does not matter if Obama and Co. make and 'effort' that does not fix the problem now does it? If your so called 'fix' will actually cause more problems, as those of us who are employed in this system know it will, then it is not helping but hurting.
just because you are elected to an office does not make you and you aides experts in a field. The system needs change but not a seizure of the market by the state. Regardless of party no one old enough to to have gathered some experience by watching the government, believes they are capable of maintain the program. They cannot maintain a program to buy ham, admin Medicare, or take care of our vets. Simple desire will not make the solution workable.
Same plan as Congress?
Will I have the same healthcare as Congress? Think about that for minute or two, is it good enough for them? They sure seem to think it is good enough for you.
The headline is misleading.
The survey covered less than 1/100th of one percent of Virginians aged 18 or over! Let's look at two other recent surveys, which have more validity, in my mind.
A June 2009 NY Times/CBS national poll reported that 72% of the people questioned want a public healthcare option.
A month ago, 63% percent of physicians who participated in a survey by the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine said they favored a public option, or government insurance plan, against 27.3 percent backing a private system alone.
Of course, since the lobbyists, drug companies and insurance companies are against a public option, it's not going to happen. For example, here's a recent headline: "Senator Max Baucus Received More Campaign Money from Health and Insurance Industry Interests than Any Other Member of Congress." He happens to the the chairman of the senate finance committee. He's against a public option. "Surprise, surprise, surprise!"
Baucus Bill
Please do your own research. The Baucus Bill WILL cost the average taxpayer, I did say AVERAGE because 55% of Americans do not pay federal income tax, $20,000 over the next 6 years. Yes, I said $20,000 more than what they pay now and what makes it even worse, I can choose my own healthcare provider today, tomorrow I can't. 0ur founding fathers are turning over in their graves. If you can't see this is all about power may God have mercy on your soul because I can guarantee you this, he won't when the Nobel Peace Prize winner is standing at the Judgement seat of Christ.