Americans Feeling Better About Healthcare

March 1, 2010 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – The prospects for healthcare reform may still be murky, but Americans are feeling better about the system they have.

According to a new Rasmussen poll taken after the health care summit last week, 44% of voters nationwide rate the U.S. health care system as good or excellent. That’s up from 35% when President Obama first proposed his reform ideas last May and up from 29% two years ago. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 28% now say the U.S. health care system is poor.       

Additionally, more than three-quarters (76%) of those with insurance rate their own coverage as good or excellent. Just three percent (3%) rate their own coverage as poor.

Nearly half (49%) of insured Americans say it’s at least somewhat likely that the plan before Congress could force them to change their own coverage, though 39% say it’s not likely. Those figures include 28% who say the proposed legislation is Very Likely to force them on to a new insurance plan while only 11% are confident that outcome is Not At All Likely.

Polling conducted last week showed that a solid plurality of Democrats believe it would be good for workers if they were forced off their private insurance plan and on to a government program. Republicans and unaffiliated voters disagree.

Among all voters nationwide, 49% say it’s at least somewhat important to pass health care reform this year, though nearly as many (45%) take the opposite view and say it’s not important.

While voters are divided on the need for some kind of reform, most have consistently opposed the legislation being considered by Congress, according to Rasmussen.

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