In Poll, Wide Support For Government-run Health

Harry · June 21, 2009

Americans overwhelmingly support substantial changes to the health care system and are strongly behind one of the most contentious proposals Congress is considering, a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/health/p...rss&emc=rss

KingDL1 · June 21, 2009

I really don't have much faith in this poll, mostly because I think it must be a joke if they want me to believe that 50% of Republicans want a government run insurance plan to compete with private companies. I could buy that 50% of Republicans think the USA health care system needs to be overhauled. Doctors blame the lawyers, the insurance companies blame the lawyers, maybe we should start by taking the lawyers out of the System, then seriously regulating the insurance companies.

UNTFan23 · June 21, 2009

Harry, when I hear the phrase "compete with private insurers" it makes me think there is a choice. That choice is either an employer provided plan, a plan outside of your employer, or the government plan.

Personally, I think anyone that chooses the government plan should pay some sort of premium, just like with the private options that are available. If given the opportunity, I think many would ditch their current plans for no premiums that would come with the government option, especially if their taxes don't increase.

I feel like this proposal is ripe for abuse and could be very costly in the long run (more so than what's being forecasted today). There should be circuit breakers in place where if someone doesn't choose the employer provided plan and can't prove they can't afford the employer plan, they need to pay higher taxes to help cover their health care expenses.

eulesseagle · June 21, 2009

FFR: PEW thinks differently...............

http://people-press.org/report/?pageid=1534

The problem with polls we all learn in statistics.

1. Who did they poll? (you know.....the basic demographics)

2. What were the questions?

3. How were the questions "phrased?"

We all know one is apt to receive different numbers if you ask, for example, senior citizens about medicade than if you were to ask recent graduates about the same issue.

I think we heard about some of the fraudulent polls that were taken during the megathon campaigns prior to the election. Personally, I do not have faith in the plethora of constant polling of public opinion. It is nothing more than trying to run a government by concensus.....but whose concensus (real or imagined)?

Too many people today believe just about anything that is printed or is "blathered" on television by the constant bombardment of all the news services. That is why I do not have television/cable/satelite anymore. Wow, what a refreshment it has been. I have missed my favorite programs of 24, Hell's Kitchen, Survivor Man and Trailer Park Boys.

Edited June 21, 2009 by eulesseagle

UNT90 · June 21, 2009

I can see the question in this NYT poll already:

"Do you support Pres. Obama's plan to lower health care cost for the average American through federal intervention?"

Who wouldn't say yes. The Daily Sun is a more reliable source than the NYT.

keith · June 21, 2009

Americans overwhelmingly support substantial changes to the health care system and are strongly behind one of the most contentious proposals Congress is considering, a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/health/p...rss&emc=rss

We have at least a generation (maybe two) that have had this beaten into them their entire lives. Our populace can barely think for themselves. They are more engrossed in Hollywood's pop culture and what's going on with Jon and Kate than they are with what's going on in their own government. The American sheeple are buying this hook, line and sinker and are willfully marching down the path of enslavement to an ever growing federal government. More and more people are becoming completely dependent on the federal govenment and that's exactly what politicians want. Sad.

There is a good parable that has been floating around the net on how to catch a wild pig. I've included it below. Think about it.

A chemistry professor in a large college had some exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab the Professor noticed one young exchange student rubbing his back and stretching as if his back hurt.
The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back from being shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist government.
In the midst of his story he looked seriously at the professor and asked a strange question, 'Do you know how to catch wild pigs?'
The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said this was no joke. 'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the area. When they get used to the fence and begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They soon get used to that and start eating again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side. The pigs, who are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat. At that point you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd.
Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves so they accept their captivity.
The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening to America . The government keeps pushing the USA toward socialism and keeps spreading the "free corn" out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, hundreds of 'social' programs, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare, medicine, drugs, etc.. All the while Americans continually lose their freedoms -- just a little at a time.
One should always remember: There is no such thing as a free lunch! What is "free" now will definitely cost later from your future earnings.
It is also sad that so many working Americans are currently paying the way for millions of freeloaders (courtesy of your elected politicians) while at the same time Veterans who have made huge personal and physical sacrifices are continuously shortchanged by the same government. Congress and the President should be required to recognize there is a difference between "earning help" and getting "free help" just because you are taking up space on American soil (often illegally).
In addition, if you see that all of this wonderful government 'help' is a problem confronting the future of democracy in America , you might want to send this on to your friends and express you displeasure to your elected officials.
However, if you think the free ride is essential to your way of life then you will probably delete this email assuming you'll be able to keep on feeding when the gate slams shut!
If you don't feel like you are a wild pig or want to be trapped like one then keep tabs on those politicians currently in power who apparently think slamming the gate is best for America .
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have."
Thomas Jefferson

Keith

Edited June 21, 2009 by keith

UNTflyer · June 21, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/health/p...rss&emc=rss

That's interesting, because a Pew Poll says fewer people support it than when it failed in 1993.

As health care reform legislation moves forward in Washington, the political environment is somewhat different than the last time a major overhaul of the health care system was attempted sixteen years ago. In early 1993 the sense of a health care crisis was far more widespread than it is today – a 55% majority in 1993 said they felt the health care system needed to be “completely rebuilt” compared with 41% today. Health care costs were also a broader problem in 1993 – 63% of Americans said paying for the cost of a major illness was a “major problem” for them, compared with 48% currently.

http://people-press.org/report/?pageid=1534

UNTflyer · June 21, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/health/p...rss&emc=rss

The poll oversamples liberals and moderates. Only 29% of the poll classified themselves conservative even though a recent Gallup survey shows the country is 40% conservative. When you undersample an entire ideological group, the results will not reflect the true sentiments of the whole.

keith · June 21, 2009

Regardless of the benefits or dangers of health care reform, has anyone answered a simple question? Are there enough doctors to absorb another 46 million patients? If not, then the only likely solution would be rationing of health care. Who would do the rationing?

Keith

UNT90 · June 21, 2009

The poll oversamples liberals and moderates. Only 29% of the poll classified themselves conservative even though a recent Gallup survey shows the country is 40% conservative. When you undersample an entire ideological group, the results will not reflect the true sentiments of the whole.

Shocking!!!! The NYT manipulating a poll to get a desired result. NO! The National Inquirer puts out a more credible journalistic publication than this rag.

UNTflyer · June 21, 2009

Shocking!!!! The NYT manipulating a poll to get a desired result. NO! The National Inquirer puts out a more credible journalistic publication than this rag.

Yes, they undersampled conservatives by 11 points and oversampled liberals by 7 points. So consider a possible 18 point error in sampling when viewing these results.

SUMG · June 21, 2009

Yes, they undersampled conservatives by 11 points and oversampled liberals by 7 points. So consider a possible 18 point error in sampling when viewing these results.

This further backs up what you said:

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard...ll-obama-voters

FirefightnRick · June 22, 2009

FFR: PEW thinks differently...............

What? This is my first post on this thread.

And by the way, good find by Flyer and SUMG.

Rick

UNTflyer · June 25, 2009

GMG.com is so ahead of the curve

http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/arti...px?RsrcID=49999

FirefightnRick · June 25, 2009

GMG.com is so ahead of the curve
http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/arti...px?RsrcID=49999

“Although some polling organizations do, The New York Times/CBS News poll does not weight by party ID,” she told CNSNews.com. “We weight by characteristics that are known from census data.”

That would explain a bit of it right there.

Rick