New Poll Shows Public Still Divided On Health Care Reform

by Doug Mataconis

As the Democrats in Congress continue to move forward, the American public remains deeply divided on health care reform:
As the Senate prepares to take up legislation aimed at overhauling the nation’s health-care system, President Obama and the Democrats are still struggling to win the battle for public opinion. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows Americans deeply divided over the proposals under consideration and majorities predicting higher costs ahead.

But Republican opponents have done little better in rallying the public opposition to kill the reform effort. Americans continue to support key elements of the legislation, including a mandate that employers provide health insurance to their workers and access to a government-sponsored insurance plan for those people without insurance.

Over the past few months, public opinion has solidified, leaving Obama and the Democrats with the political challenge of enacting one of the most ambitious pieces of domestic legislation in decades in the face of a nation split over the wisdom of doing so. In the new poll, 48 percent say they support the proposed changes; 49 percent are opposed.

This is largely consistent with other polls on the topic:



If the Democrats do manage to pass one of the health care reform bills currently pending before Congress, they’ll be doing in a sharply divided country, and that’s an immense political risk.