Laying down some markers on what they want or don't in a health care overhaul, 69 percent of voters said Americans should have the option of a public plan that competes with private insurers, but only 29 percent said they would use it, according to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted June 23-29.
Fifty-eight percent said it would be a bad thing if government ran the health care system compared to 32 percent who thought it would be a good thing, but voters were roughly split on whether a public plan as President Obama has proposed was a Trojan horse that would leave to government-run health care. Forty-nine percent said that would not happen while 46 percent believed it would. The margin of error is 1.8 points.
A CNN/Opinion Research poll, conducted June 26-28, found support for President Obama's health care proposal at 54 percent to 45 percent with another 54 percent concerned their health care costs will increase if it passes and only 17 percent believing they would decrease.
In the Quinnipiac poll, nearly three-quarters of voters said they would not be willing to pay more taxes, or would not be willing to pay more than $500 a year, for an overhaul plan that reduces costs and covers the uninsured. Forty-five percent were in the no additional taxes category, while 27 percent said they were willing to pay more if the tab was under $500. Fifteen percent were willing to pay between $500 and $1,000 more.