Poll Bankrolled By Foes Of Health Care Reform Finds Overwhelming Support For Public Plan

[babylonsister]

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/president-obama/poll-bankrolled-by-foes-of-health-care-reform-finds-overwhelming-support-for-public-plan/

Poll Bankrolled By Foes Of Health Care Reform Finds Overwhelming Support For Public Plan


If this one doesn’t stiffen the spines of Dems who are wavering on whether to include a public health insurance option in the reform package, nothing will.

A new poll by a nonpartisan, D.C.-based research group finds truly overwhelming support for the public option. The kicker: The poll was bankrolled partly by previous opponents of health care reform, including one of the nation’s best-known insurance companies.

The poll — which was just released by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, a D.C. policy think tank — finds that a majority (53%) strongly back the availability of a public plan, while another 30% “somewhat” support it. That’s a total of 83% in favor of a public plan — a staggeringly large majority.

Even more interesting, guess who paid for the poll? From the release:

This survey was made possible with support from AARP, American Express, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Buck Consultants, Chevron, Deere & Company, IBM, Mercer, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Principal Financial Group, Schering-Plough Corp., Shell Oil Company, The Commonwealth Fund, and Towers Perrin.

Not exactly a band of raging lefties. The American Association of Retired Persons and Blue Cross Blue Shield were among the opponents of HillaryCare in the 1990s.

While the news in this poll is not uniformly good for Obama’s plan by any means, the public plan is the main focus of debate right now, and on this, the poll is unequivocal. What’s more, it’s backed up by the new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, which finds that three in four think the public option is important.

News of this new poll comes as Tom Daschle, who was almost Obama’s point man on health care reform, is out there suggesting that the White House may have to drop the public option to get reform passed with bipartisan consensus.

[BanzaiBonnie]

1. Then we need to make sure 3 out of 4

of us are calling our lawmakers to put in a public option.

[LiberalFighter]

2. And that Daschle does not represent middle America.

[OHdem10]

3. What Some (including Lawmakers) are neglecting to understand:

Even in Red State, ordinary citizens have seen their jobs sent
out of the country--thus they lost health care coverage. Some
have had this happen over and over. They now realize Business
can no longer be depended on for a job --much less health care.

Too many have had health care coverage, only to find out , it did
not cover needed protection.

In conclusion, American People are slowly learning they have to
look out for themselves. Common Sense tells them. Social Security
has never failed them. Medicare has never failed them (even though
over the last 20 years, GOP has done everything they can to gut it).
Social Security and Medicare has not made the country a bunch of
socialists and commies. Public Option is their best bet.

[Soylent Brice]

7. spot on.

[ljm2002]

4. It's not a question of stiffening their spines...

...their spines are actually stiff enough. It's just that the stand they are taking is FOR the insurance industry and AGAINST the populace.

What we need to do is kick them in the balls, metaphorically speaking, so they have no choice but to cave in to POPULAR opinion and quit sucking up to their corporate overlords.

[Lugnut]

5. Health insurance issues cross political lines.

Insurance companies don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican when they deny coverage or put health care coverage beyond your reach.

[Hepburn]

6. What a surprise...NOT!

Even many of those with "good" health insurance, fucking hate their carriers. It is a fight with the insurance company 99% of the time to get what one's health care provider says is necesary. No wonder few prefer them over a public agency.

And the bullshit about government being between one and his/her care providers? GMAFB...the profit-motivated, greedy insurance company is now between the patient and the provider. I fail to see how the hell the government could possibly be worse.

JMHO