America Wants Affordable Health Insurance, Unsure Obama Will Provide It

The debate over healthcare reform has continued non-stop for nearly a year. Public opinion fluctuates depending on many factors. While most people support the general concept of more affordable health insurance, there are many disagreements as to how to obtain it. A recent poll by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal found that support is slipping for several key centerpieces of the Democratic proposals.



Among their findings:

• 47 percent of respondents believe healthcare reform is a bad idea, as it currently stands.






• Only 32 percent support President Obama's proposals to provide affordable health insurance to the uninsured and underinsured, which is the lowest level of support they have had since April.






• The poll, conducted last week, also found that a slight plurarity now prefer keeping the current health care system the way it is, with 44 percent in favor of the status quo and 41 for change. This is a reversal from polls earlier this fall, which showed more enthusiasm for reform.





• Largely due to this dissatisfaction, approval ratings for both Obama and the Democratic party have slid. However, the Republican party--which has been accused of obstructionism by its opponents--is not doing much better. In fact, the so-called "tea party"--renowned for its vocal presence at town hall meetings over the summer and dedicated opposition to reform--is more popular then either major political party. The presidenti's approval ratings are now only 44%. His actions on healthcare reform have been too radical for conservatives, yet too feeble for liberals.





• While a plurality opposes a full-blown public option, there is majority support for the failed compromise of allowing people between the ages of 55 and 64 to buy into Medicare. 58% support that alternative, in addition to the government negotiating with private insurers to create a national plan for affordable health insurance coverage for those without employer-sponsored insurance. Given this opinion, it definitely deserves more thought than it was given in the Senate.

This poll of about 1,000 individuals was taken prior to recent developments, which saw the Senate jettison the public option altogether. The surveytakers attempted to select a representative sample of the American public: they included many individuals who only use cell phones (a mostly younger demographic), and the sample was evenly split between Obama and McCain voters. There is a philosophical difference that impacts both sides' respective viewpoints on how to increase access to affordable health insurance. For the most part, it appears that the American people believe that their voices aren't being sufficiently heard. Much of this has come from the conservative side of the aisle, but progressives are increasingly angry with what they believe is betrayal. The likelihood of the healthcare reform bill passing before the holidays appears to grow slimmer each day.



Yamileth Medina is an up and coming expert on Health Insurance and Healthcare Reform. She aims to help people realize that they can find affordable health insurance right now while waiting for a public option, if it ever gets passed. Yamileth lives in Miami, FL.