US Poll Shows That Americans Are Wary Of Health Changes

WASHINGTON- More and more Americans are voicing that they are worried about the cost and quality of medical care that will result from President Obama’s plan to reshape U.S. health care. The latest poll however, indicates that a majority still trust the administration more than Republicans in changing the system, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows.

This poll is appearing at the same time that Senate leaders are creating a bill for an important floor vote. It has discovered that people who indicate a fear that their costs will increase have increased by 7 percent since last month, to a total of almost half or 49%. Among those who believe that both the quality of health care will get worse if legislation passes, and in addition that insurance company red tape will increase, there were similar increases.

These are findings that support what appears to be a growing skepticism that Obama and other Democrats are facing as they labor on the key details of their new health care plan. Of those surveyed about a third said they expect to oppose the bill in its final form while one-fourth say they would support it. Another 39% are undecided.

Senator Jon Kyl Republican of Arizona says that the legislation will probably drive up premiums and that the criticisms that people have and their thinking that it will not benefit them are true.

But at this point it is the president and other congressional Democrats are significantly gaining more confidence than Republicans as regards this issue. while only 37% of those surveyed says they trust the Republicans to change the health care system, over half say they trust the president.

As congressional leaders must go through a weighty process of merging various versions of health care legislation, deciding on key details examples being financing and gaining enough support to pass these measures during upcoming floor votes, it may be difficult to keep that trust.

Sen. Robert Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, says that that you need the people’s trust to get them to listen to what you have to say. He points out that it is necessary that legislators address the middle-class regarding how the Congress is going to lower costs and to make them feel more secure.

Both Menendez and Kyl are members of the Senate Finance Committee. This month the committee voted 14-9 to approve an $829 billion, 10-year health care bill that is designed to expand insurance coverage to an additional 29 million people who otherwise would not have coverage. The bill will now have to be combined with the measure approved in July by the Senate health committee.

Survey results include the information that 50% of those polled would support a public option, or a government-run public insurance plan that would compete with private insurance companies. Another 46% say would not. This controversial measure doesn't appear in the Finance Committee bill but it can be found in four other bills.

Sixty percent are against the proposed added tax or the “Cadillac” insurance plans included in the Finance Committee’s bill. However, close to that number (59%) indicate that they would support an income surtax on high-wage earners as that being pushed by House Democrats.