Poll: majorities support public option, health insurance mandate
By Dan Balz and Jon Cohen
WashPost
Monday, October 19, 2009 6:07 PM
As Democratic congressional leaders and White House officials work to shape health care bills that will go to the House and Senate floors, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that support for a government-run health plan to compete with private insurers has rebounded from its summertime lows and now wins clear majority support from the public.
Americans remain sharply divided about both the overall health care package and President Obama's leadership on the issue, reflecting the intense partisan battle that has raged for months over the administration's top legislative priority. But majorities now back two key and controversial provisions: both the so-called public option and a new mandate requiring all Americans to carry health insurance.
Independents and senior citizens, two groups crucial to the debate, have warmed to the idea of a public insurance option, and are particularly supportive if it were administered by the states and limited to those without access to affordable private insurance, as stipulated in some versions of the legislation.
But in a sign of the fragile coalition politics that now influence the negotiations in Congress, Obama's approval ratings on health care are slipping among his fellow Democrats even as they are solidifying among independents and seniors. Among Democrats, strong approval of his handling of health care has dropped 15 percentage points since mid-September.
(More here.)
WashPost
Monday, October 19, 2009 6:07 PM
As Democratic congressional leaders and White House officials work to shape health care bills that will go to the House and Senate floors, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that support for a government-run health plan to compete with private insurers has rebounded from its summertime lows and now wins clear majority support from the public.
Americans remain sharply divided about both the overall health care package and President Obama's leadership on the issue, reflecting the intense partisan battle that has raged for months over the administration's top legislative priority. But majorities now back two key and controversial provisions: both the so-called public option and a new mandate requiring all Americans to carry health insurance.
Independents and senior citizens, two groups crucial to the debate, have warmed to the idea of a public insurance option, and are particularly supportive if it were administered by the states and limited to those without access to affordable private insurance, as stipulated in some versions of the legislation.
But in a sign of the fragile coalition politics that now influence the negotiations in Congress, Obama's approval ratings on health care are slipping among his fellow Democrats even as they are solidifying among independents and seniors. Among Democrats, strong approval of his handling of health care has dropped 15 percentage points since mid-September.
(More here.)
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