Twitter
StumbleUpon
Facebook
Delicious
Digg
Newsvine
Google
Yahoo
TechnoratiMost in US Support Govt-Backed Health Care: Poll
WASHINGTON - The overwhelming majority of Americans support substantial changes to the country's health care system, including a government-run health insurance option, a new opinion poll found.
![[A major hospital in New York. The overwhelming majority of Americans support substantial changes to the country's health care system, including a government-run health insurance option, a new opinion poll has found. (AFP/File/Stan Honda)]](http://www.commondreams.org/files/article_images/americanswantgovhealthcare.jpg "americanswantgovhealthcare.jpg")
The survey by The New York Times and CBS News also indicated most Americans would be willing to pay higher taxes so everyone could have health insurance.
Eighty-five percent of respondents said the health care system needed to be fundamentally changed or completely rebuilt, according to the poll.
In addition, the survey found that 72 percent of those questioned supported a government-administered insurance plan -- something like Medicare for those under 65 -- that would compete for customers with private insurers.
Twenty percent said they were opposed.
When asked which party was more likely to improve health care, 18 percent of said the Republicans while 57 percent picked the Democrats. Even one of four Republicans said the Democrats would do better.
However, half of those who identified themselves as Republicans said they would support a public plan, along with nearly three-fourths of independents and almost nine in 10 Democrats, according to the poll.
President Barack Obama wants Congress to approve his health care reform proposals by the end of the year in order to fulfill one of his key campaign promises -- providing health care to the 46 million Americans, some 15 percent of the population, who currently do not have any medical coverage.
Obama's health care plan includes a government insurance option, which has been fiercely criticized by Republicans.
At the same time, the survey found that 77 percent of Americans were very or somewhat satisfied with the quality of their own health care, a factor that is being exploited by opponents of the president's proposal.
The poll of 895 adults was conducted from June 12 to 16 and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.
31 Comments so far
Show AllAll the US Congress now has US Government funded health insurance even the hypocritical, most fanatical opponents of same for the people of this country. None of these "opponents of socialized medicine" have any problem about using this system for themselves, just as they have no problem raising their salaries by a voice vote which prevents anybody keeping track of whose voting for this garbage, but then when it comes to the most minimal expansion of the minimum wage for the folks, these same characters and phonies have no problem dragging this out over a phased in period and having a roll call vote on it to force all who back it to go on the record. It is just damn unreal!
AD
Its seems that we must
ask our Congressional representatives to
Explain the democratic principle where a few thousand men from insurance companies, drug companies and hospital companies have more say about universal healthcare in our Congress than we (hundreds of millions of citizens) have.
Poll: 72% of Americans back Creation of Public Healthcare Plan
A new poll by the New York Times and CBS News has found that 72 percent of Americans support the government creating a public healthcare plan, similar to Medicare, which would compete with private insurance plans. The poll also found the majority of Americans now believe the government would do a better job than private insurance companies in providing medical coverage.
A quick check at "opensecrets.org" or "votesmart.org" will show you the answer. Olympia Snow, the senior senator from Maine lists 'insurance industry' as her top campaign donation source, although in the pie chart 'retired' is listed as 54%, so I can almost guarantee how she will vote, dispite my e-mail to her giving my opinion. It usually boils down to that lust for money. Funny, the tax payer foots the bill for health care of the very poor and for the politicians, but the politicians are unwilling to give back to the tax payer that which he/she has taken so freely.
What is the point of polls anyway? Congress doesn't give a sh** about it. They are against the people's interests anyway. Even if 100% in the poll supported it, do you really expect Congress to care? Single payer healthcare is just a pipe dream.
Boycott Emergency Rooms!
Be careful what you wish for.
It was a joke. I just wanted to see who would fall for it. Just laugh. Ha-ha!
PS, Be careful! And remember, safety first! Mind thy head. Don't forget to duck! Watch your backside! And always cover your assets!
"Keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel"
-The Doors
The results of this poll have been splattered ascross the MSM "news" programs, yet for some reason, the people of this society cannot seem to fathom the fact that THEIR very own elected "representatives", the one they voted for, represents not them, but the almighty corporate campaign contribution. Of course, that campaign contribution will once again be used to con them into re-electing the same damn representative who in turn will repreent not them, but the corporate contributor.
Anyone notice how this seems to go on for a lifetime for those who are lucky enough to be "incumbants?"
Eliminate private campaign contributions through a strictly publicly funded campaign system with strong criminal penalties for accepting anything other than public campaign financing, impose term limits on both the House and Senate, and eliminate lobbying entirely, so the corporate bastards cannot find someway to sneak financial "incentives" to their favorite politician.
To me, using the word/term 'insurance' makes health care anything but the single pay that what I would say is what the 'overwhelming majority' wants, so with that, we are supposed to be bound and beholding to some jack leg insurance company for the corporate 'health care' for their benefit over the people's?
I guess since the corporations have done a bang up job making the USA a banana republic, that we ought to just take our pitance, shut up and go home.
But this does, just out right put the lie to those we elect to legislate for us by legislating AGAINST us, 'damn the people, we've been elected and we will decide what is good for them'?
Look, people. It's a piece of cake. The alter-establishment is easy enough to build. It's easy to realize a non-profit health insurance company chartered to use medicare forms and maintain balanced risk and 1% overhead/2x value as in Canada. By balanced risk, we mean a ratio of healthy/unhealthy members that reflects the national average. The only challenge is preventing corruption or abandonment of the charter. To prevent this we may connect it into two existing distributed establishhments - the credit unions and the organic farmers group, and related unencumbered small business groups. We don't need federal legislation to solve this problem. We don't need the feds at all except for a tiny set of very narrow tasks.
To the news media on the "surprise" that most Americans want public health care:
No shit Sherlock, Where'd you get your first clue?
Apparently everbody wants single payer except The executive branch, Congress, Big Pharma, Big Insurance.
All the above are abstractions. They don't get sick or hungry or cold or poor. Even the people who represent these abstractions know what the people want and need but they don't care.
Profits and statistics are abstractions too and apparently these abstractions are the only things other abstractions care about.
Our society was defeated not by robots or Martians or Russians but by entities that have no existence at all in the sense that existence refers to a concrete reality, like a human being, or a tree.
'Our society' doesn't exist either. There is NO society in the US - no common collective, no common dream, no common history (since we are all immigrants), and therefore no common collective drive to save 'our society' - or 'our country' - especially since we don't control it anyway.
'American society' is also an abstraction - and that's the problem. Individual people are frail - they can only be strong as a collective. Those with material drives - the greedy few psychopaths - are the only ones with a collective dream of their 'perfect society' - one where they reap all the benefits and 'we the people' pick up all the tabs. There is no one to challenge them because there is no common society - no rallying point - to get people involved in establishing our own 'new world order' - and here we are... stuck at the bottom of the heap, struggling just to survive one more day. We are the new slaves of the Roman Empire. I don't see any reason to hope for anything better in the future - it's all downhill from here. We killed the 'Left' - the socialists - in our society, and now the new 'middle' is at the far right... hell of a mess, and a recipe for a failed society. We're like lambs waiting to be slaughtered - and most won't even complain as their neighbors get devoured (they'll just be happy it wasn't their turn, this time) - that's the ugly reality of America - the REAL America. Americans only rally to start wars. Even if they're cold, or hungry, or sick, or poor - they will always rally to war. After all, they don't want any of THEIR tax money to go to THOSE OTHERS in their community - you know, those recent immigrants, those illegals, those lazy people, those welfare mothers, etc, etc, etc... you get the point.
Very well put. I would just add that there is also a consorted effort by those in power to keep people divided. Some examples are "illegal" aliens, vs legal americans, liberals vs conservatives, the elite east coasters vs Joe six pack, anti abortion vs pro-choice, Muslim vs Christian, and the list goes on and on...
Sometimes being satisfied is all just relative. When one believes there is no choice, except what one has and having nothing, being satisfied is all that makes sense. When I had a job where healthcare was offered and the employer picked up the majority of the premium for family coverage, even though the price rose at a greater percentage than my pay, I was satisfied that I had coverage even though what was covered was shrinking. Had I been offered Universal Govt. supplied healthcare, and rather than paying a premium each payday I was taxed, I would have been more satisfied. My HMO, and there have been several over the years, didn't guarantee me the same doctor, and I don't know what wasn't covered, because I rarely need a doctor. Still don't. However, now I rely on my Veterans healthcare, while my wife has none, so I can't with good conscience use mine out of solidarity with her and her non coverage. We NEED Universal Single Payer coverage; not just some government bastard plan to appease the healthcare/AMA lobby. These Republicans who keep chanting about "can't choose your own doctor", "Bureaucrat between you and your healthcare", etc., which is just bullshit. An HMO is a bureauocracy that is ALSO trying to turn a profit. And, the Democrats are a bunch of pussies, or they, too, have been bought off. God help us all.
The ability to lie to the public about single-payer is the problem - they can lie with absolute impunity, reaching those hundreds of millions of Americans who stare stupidly at their idiot-boxes every night - and get away with it - again. We have to stop advertising - paid propaganda using outright lies - or we have no future. The American people are sold a bill of goods - all lies - because they have evolved to watch for movement (to assess prey-food and avoid predators) so are addicted to televison. Psychologists - armies of them - are well-paid to figure out exactly how to fool the idiots watching the idiot-box, and get them to support policies that are the very antithesis of their best interests. It is an abomination - and we have to stop ALL ADVERTISING before we can ever hope to make any progress. Yes, I know advertising dollars pay for programs - but those ads rake in many multiples of the billions spent on commercials (and lobbyists, campaigns, etc) - and we must make a logical choice and kill the advertising beast that is preying on us. Otherwise, we lose EVERY issue of public policy that has any chance of improving our quality of life - which is fast dissipating anyway. Advertising is propaganda - it should be (must be) illegal. It is NOT 'free speech' if it is made up of outright lies, disinformation, and emotional ploys intended to goad the viewer into making self-destructive choices. Appealing to the reptilian brain is smart advertising - but it makes a mockery of any idea of 'freedom' or 'democracy' - there is no choice if we are pre-programmed to swallow the Kool-aid. And I'm afraid there are no gods who are going to help us get over our own stupidity - the Founders never imagined TV, or the way so many people could be so easily manipulated.
If schools and parents would teach kids how think critically we could greatly lessen the impact of advertising propaganda. Unfortunately I honestly think that one of the primary purposes of schools is to turn out graduates that are easily manipulated mindless followers.
Being satisfied with your doctor is different from being satisfied by your insurance.
camus13
Here is our time to take to the streets. You know, like the people in Iran.
Ha Ha Ha
The inside the Beltway crowd love this in Iran but if it was ever tried in the USA on the first day out comes the Army and the doors open on the already built detention camps.
Like the one in Flordia built by KBR.
This system is dead, the people mean nothing.....only the corperations....that my friends is were the money is.
Until ALL advertising is banned, you can forget ANY socially progressive policies being considered, let alone enacted. All dictators control the population with propaganda - and fascists are experts at this. Look up Eduard Bernays - the man who orchestrated the rise of fascism (corporatism) in the US. Then ask any college student or adult if they ever heard of this egregious character...
Bernays will be viewed as the the father of the post-enlightenment, neo feudal phase of human development in the same way Locke or Rosseau are viewed as the fathers of the enlightenment.
We are dealing with the same scum-bags im Congress who would not impeach the little deserter, charge anyone with war crimes, stop global warming, stop aid to the zionists, won't stop these illegal wars, and, worst of all, these scum-bags own stock in the insurance companies and big pharm.
Change you can believe in?
Most Americans keep re-electing the same scum-bags that vote against their interests in both houses of Congress - so they get what they vote for - more misery, more poverty, more laws and less freedom - with no hope for a better future. If Americans are that stupid, lazy, dumb, and cowardly - what else do they deserve?
If most voters refused to choose between the 'lesser of two evils' and simply voted for someone else - anyone else - you'd see instant improvement. It's the idiotic idea of voting for one of the two sides of the corporate party that makes 'change' impossible - Americans don't want change!!! They proved that by voting - again - for either GOP or DFL instead of an alternative to more-of-the-same. They got exactly what they wanted - corporate hacks that favor militarism and corporatism - FACISM. So get over it and listen to what Americans are REALLY saying - they LIKE fascism!!!
Excellent analysis on the first paragraph. However, I don't agree that Americans really want fascism. It's just that they are happy with an illusion of democracy and yet don't look beyond the illusion to see what it really is.
We are going to have Universal Single Payer Health Care.
It will be funded by personal and corporate income taxes.
It will concentrate on prevention and health maintenance.
Corporate 'personhood' will be repealed so that systemic bribery will cease
and then Congress and the EPA etc. will then be able to properly manage
the majority of our corporate caused health hazards.
It shall be the job of Congress, if they are to keep their jobs, to make this "Medicare for all" happen.
Dream on, Humbaba, dream on.
Sounds to me like a battery ram, not a dream. Remember, capital is on its knees today.
"Change we can believe in ", is off the table. $$ talks in DC and the Corps. own the town. The DINO Dems. are the new GOP. Why should health care be any different then the rest of the BIG Corp. give away that is DC?
So let's find out how much it will cost us to get single payer -- I'm sure we could raise it. Maybe we could throw in publicly financed campaign legislation and ban all external financial support and establish real democracy while we're at it. Who do we need to ask???
Why didn't this poll ask about single payer???
And the the way the NYT interpreted the results is, as usual, laughable.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/health/policy/21poll.html
The NYT interprets the disparity between the 77% satisfaction with their own private plans, with what was basically an overwhelming support for universal public coverage (if the exact question had been asked) as a sign of "uneasiness". How strange, the first word that came to my mind to explain this was that it is a sign of "compassion" - for the less well off and poor without coverage.
But I guess the words like "compassion" and "the poor" are inimical to corporate America - who have worked very hard at wiping out the very idea that compassion may be a force in human affairs. So, I guess the word in on the NYT's no-no list.
So, these poll results are a rather remarkable indication that all this mass Reagan-and-later re-education of USAns may not be working.
Reality keeps interfereing with corporate plans. But don't worry, corporations are immortal and tenacious. They'll kill us yet.