Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Poll Shows Dislike With Obama-Care

Today, the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest Advance (CMPI-A), in partnership with Pajamas Media, is releasing national survey data on Americans’ views of the proposed health care reform legislation before Congress. CMPI-A leads the national grassroots initiative, Hands OFF My Health, a campaign that seeks to raise public awareness and better inform Americans about the potential costs and consequences of government-run health care. From Dr. Robert Goldberg, president of CMPI-A:

The poll suggests that Americans oppose how the health care bill is being passed and want more debate and a more democratic approach. … The potential of House Democrats sending the Senate bill to the president without an up or down vote is clearly counter to public sentiment and in strong opposition to the meager support for the tax increases, Medicare cuts and subsidies embedded in the reform bill. Not to mention, there remains strong public opposition to empowering government panels to set limits on future access to care and what kind of health plans the uninsured can have. What Americans do support are proposals to buy plans that reward healthy behavior, encourage saving and investing for future health needs, and policies that reward future treatments and cures.

The CMPI-A/PJM poll demonstrates an extremely high level of concern with the current bill:

· Six in ten Americans (60%) agree that a current Democrat proposal to send the Senate health care bill to the president without voting up or down on it is “unfair.”

· Most Americans oppose (81%) health care reforms that would increase insurance premiums for healthy people to offset premiums of people who wait until they are diagnosed with an illness to purchase insurance.

· Eight Americans in ten (81%) oppose allowing the government to decide what kind of health care coverage Americans are able to purchase.

· Most Americans (87%) oppose having a government panel recommend or decide what medical procedures or medical advances your doctor or health plan can or cannot use.

· More than eight Americans in ten (84%) support reforms that would allow people to buy health insurance where it is the least expensive, such as across state lines.

· Three in four Americans (76%) oppose health care reforms that would raise taxes and cut Medicare benefits to pay for health care subsidies for expanded coverage for those currently insured.

· Eight Americans in ten (78%) support health care reforms that would let people buy less costly health plans and save and invest for health care needs in the future on a tax-free basis.

· Half of Americans (51%) oppose health care reforms that would let people lock-in premiums by paying more for their insurance.

· Most Americans (85%) support health care reforms that would let people get lower premiums for getting or staying healthy.

· Eight Americans in ten (82%) support the idea that more money should be invested in the development of cures for the most devastating diseases.

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