America Prefers NOTHING to Obamacare

Most American voters feel that the Obamacare bills making their way through congress are so bad that they would prefer nothing to these freedom attacking resolutions. According to a Rasmussen poll released today 54% of registered voters say passing no healthcare reform better than passing the congressional plans. Thirty-five percent of Americans say the Congressional bills are better than nothing. 

This doesn't necessarily mean that voters don't want any health care reform, they don't want the Democratic Party versions going through congress. Committee is still attempting to seek a bi-partisan solution. No voters were asked about the Republican plan, but since it is getting little or no press attention, it is doubtful if voters would be able to comment.

As you man imagine, Democrats support the Congressional efforts (60%), but 80% of Republicans and 66% of independents prefer that Congress do nothing.  Voters who earn less than $20,000 a year are evenly divided but a majority of all other voters would prefer no action. Middle income voters, those who earn from $40,000 to $75,000 a year, are most strongly in favor of taking no action.

As the public has become more engaged in the debate over health care reform, support for the Congressional reform plans has fallen to new lows. Just 42% of U.S. voters now favor the plan while 53% are opposed. Those who oppose the effort feel more strongly about it.

It remains difficult to poll about the reform effort because no single plan has been presented. A Congressional consensus on health care reform was reported earlier this year, but it received mixed reviews from the public.

From the beginning of the debate, voters have indicated support for the concept of health care reform and for some of the specific ideas that have been suggested. However, they are skeptical about what has been presented thus far in Congress. One reason is skepticism about Congress itself. By a two-to-one margin, voters believe that no matter how bad things are Congress could always make it worse.

There are also concerns about the timing. While Democrats consider health care reform the top priority for the President, Republicans and unaffiliated voters see deficit reduction as more important.

As for the protesters at congressional town hall meetings, 49% believe they are genuinely expressing the views of their neighbors, while 37% think they’ve been put up to it by special interest groups and lobbyists. One surprising by-product of the debate over changing the system is that confidence in the U.S. health care system has grown over the past few months. That may be because when it comes to health care decisions, 51% fear the government more than they fear private insurance companies. Forty-one percent (41%) hold the opposite view.

Cost, not universal coverage, is the top priority for most voters and 54% favor middle class tax cuts over new spending on health care.

One reason that the President has been careful to distinguish between his idea of health care reform and a single payer system is that just 32% favor Single-Payer health care while 57% are opposed.