Health Care Reform Support Plummets in Ohio

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3 Responses to “Health Care Reform Support Plummets in Ohio”

1. Bill589 Says:
   November 13th, 2009 at 7:18 am

   Let’s hope this trend continues.

2. OHIO JOE Says:
   November 13th, 2009 at 8:42 am

   There is no question that Ohio is swinging back to the right and it is especially becoming oppose to Socialist health care. The Tea Party movement is strong is our state and although there are many issues that are of concern, Tea-parties and Ohioans in general are very concerned about health care. The Blue Dogs clowns who voted for this non-sense might have no clue what is coming because the average Blue Dog man and woman in the street does not like this health care plan.

3. Aron Goldman Says:
   November 13th, 2009 at 5:37 pm

   More in U.S. Say Health Coverage Is Not Gov’t. Responsibility
   Marks significant shift from the attitudes of the past decade
   http://www.gallup.com/poll/124253/Say-Health-Coverage-Not-Gov-Responsibility.aspx?version=print

   More Americans now say it is not the federal government’s responsibility to make sure all Americans have healthcare coverage (50%) than say it is (47%). This is a first since Gallup began tracking this question, and a significant shift from as recently as three years ago, when two-thirds said ensuring healthcare coverage was the government’s responsibility.

   Gallup has asked this question each November since 2001 as part of the Gallup Poll Social Series, and most recently in its Nov. 5-8 Health and Healthcare survey. There have been some fluctuations from year to year, but this year marks the first time in the history of this trend that less than half of Americans say ensuring healthcare coverage for all is the federal government’s responsibility.

   The high point for the “government responsibility” viewpoint occurred in 2006, when 69% of Americans agreed. In 2008, this percentage fell to 54%, its previous low reading. This year, in the midst of robust debate on a potentially imminent healthcare reform law, the percentage of Americans agreeing that it is the government’s responsibility to make sure everyone has health insurance has fallen even further, by seven points, to 47%. Half of Americans now say this is not the government’s responsibility.

   More than 7 out of 10 Republicans say it is not the responsibility of government to see that all Americans have healthcare coverage, while more than 7 out of 10 Democrats say it is.

   The percentage of Republicans choosing the “government responsibility” option fell 20 percentage points between 2006 and the current survey, compared to a 13-point drop among Democrats. From a longer-range perspective, however, Democrats’ views today reflect essentially a return to the sentiment seen early in the decade, while Republicans now express significantly lower support.

   A second question Gallup tracks each November asks Americans directly about “replacing the current healthcare system with a new government-run health care system.”

   Throughout this decade, a plurality of Americans have consistently favored maintaining the current system, although support has fluctuated. In November 2007, the edge for the private system over the government-run system was just 7 points, vs. a 31-point gap in 2004. The current 29-point gap is thus at the high end of the historical range.

   Almost 9 out of 10 Republicans and Republican leaners favor maintaining the current healthcare system based mostly on private health insurance. Democrats and Democratic leaners favor the concept of replacing the current system with a government-run system, but Democratic opinion is less monolithic than Republican opinion; more than a third of Democrats would favor maintaining the current system.

   The current poll results indicate that, with the renewed healthcare debate since Obama took office, Americans have become less convinced that it is an appropriate goal for the federal government to take on the responsibility of ensuring that all Americans have healthcare coverage. It is possible that the current debate has increased the average American’s awareness as to the nuances of the various roles the government could play in the healthcare system, helping make the generic “make sure all Americans have healthcare coverage” sound less appealing. Plus, the current debate may have produced more skepticism among Americans that the government’s role in healthcare could or should be this broad.