Labor & Employment Law

Majority of Public Supports Health Care Reform

By James Parks

Whatever happens  in tomorrow?s elections, one’s thing’s already clear: Americans support the recently passed health care reform.  Despite Fox News’ rhetoric, there is no mandate to repeal health care reform. If anything, there is a public mood for more real reform.

Writing today on the Center for American Progress website, Ruy Teixeira reports on two recent polls that show just where Americans really stand on health care.  

A mid-October AP-GfK poll asked respondents what they would prefer Congress to do about the new health care law.  Fifty-seven percent say they want to either leave the law as is (18 percent) or change it so it does more to change the health care system (39 percent). On the other side, 41 percent wanted the law changed so that it does less to change the health care system (9 percent) or completely repealed (32 percent).

Then in late October, a CBS News/New York Times poll asked respondents if they favored repeal of health care reform: 45 percent said “No” and 41 percent said “Yes.” Those favoring repeal were then asked whether they would still support repeal if that meant ?insurance companies were no longer required to cover people with existing medical conditions or prior illnesses.? That one question alone caused the pro-repeal group to shrink to just 25 percent.

Teixeira asks:

That?s not exactly a mandate for repeal. But since when did reality get in the way of conservative policy ideas?

Check out Teixeira?s entire post here.

The polls back up what AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said about President Obama’s health care reform bill back in March 2010:

This bill is a solid first step….And we will continue working to improve health care for all Americans. That is our goal, and this legislation moves us closer to achieving it. 

Full post as published by AFL-CIO NOW BLOG on November 01, 2010 (boomark / email).