Americans continue to have a hard time sorting out how they feel about health care overhaul plans before Congress, according to a Gallup poll conducted Aug. 31-Sept. 2.
Despite that, nearly two-thirds of the people responding to the poll say their vote for Congress in 2010 will be based on whether they agree with how their representatives voted on the issue.
Everybody clear?
Recent town-hall meeting protests against a health care overhaul have raised concerns among Democrats — and they have cause for that concern, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports opinion poll, which shows 41 percent of American voters viewing the protests favorably.
The telephone survey of 1,000 likely voters taken Aug. 5-6 found that 35 percent are against them while 23 percent are not sure what to make of them.
The good news for Democrats, if there is any, is that most of those who support the protests — 61 percent — identified themselves as Republicans or unaffiliated (48 percent) with either party. Fifty-five percent of those surveyed who identified themselves as Democrats said they have an unfavorable view of those who are critical of the overhaul efforts.
President Obama's job approval rating has suffered a sharp decline as have the marks Americans give him for his handling of major issues, particularly the economy and the federal budget deficit, according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted July 22-26. He also took a hit for his handling of the Henry Louis Gates controversy,
Obama's approval-to-disapproval numbers for overall performance dropped from 61 percent last month to 54 percent in July. Taken together with a rise in those disapproving the job he's doing, that amounts to an 11 point turn to the negative.
Forty-six percent of Americans disapprove of President Obama's handling of the issue of health care reform compared to 41 percent who give him positive marks, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll conducted July 24-27. Thirteen percent are undecided. That compares to the 52 percent to 40 percent disapproval of former President Clinton's push for an overhaul in 1994.
Forty-two percent say the plan Obama is pushing is a bad idea, 36 percent say it is a good idea and 17 percent have no opinion. That compares to June when 32 percent said it was a bad idea, 33 percent labeled it a good idea and 30 percent had no opinion.
Thirty-nine percent believe that under Obama's plan their health care will get worse, 29 percent say it will stay the same and 21 percent say it will get better. In April, 24 percent said it would get worse, 29 percent said it would stay the same and 22 percent said it would get better
While most Americans believe that the nation's health care system needs fundamental changes or to be completely rebuilt, 59 percent of registered voters believe that the legislation now moving through Congress will not benefit them personally compared to 31 percent who think it will, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll conducted July 24-28.
Fifty-nine percent say from what they've read or heard of the legislation that it will increase costs for most Americans while 16 percent say it will have no effect and 15 percent believe it will reduce costs.
Three-quarters of those polled say they are very or somewhat concerned that a government plan to provide health care for all Americans will raise their taxes and about the same number worry that the cost of their own health care will go up. Sixty-nine percent believe that if the government creates a system of providing health care for all Americans, the quality of their own health care will get worse, compared to 53 percent who said so in June. Sixty-two percent worried that an overhaul would require them to change doctors compared to 53 percent in June
Americans are worried over what the health care overhaul planned by President Obama and congressional Democrats may bring, with 62 percent saying it likely will raise costs in the long run, 65 percent believing the health care system will become more complicated and 56 percent concerned it will limit choice of doctors and hospitals, according to a Time Magazine poll conducted July 27-28.
Americans split at 46 percent each over whether they approved Obama's handling of the issue, but they trust Obama over congressional Republicans on health care by 47 percent to 32 percent.
President Obama is facing some ominous signs on the key issues of the economy and health care with voters demonstrating some strong skepticism about his handling of both those issues, according to a survey conducted for National Public Radio July 22-26.
However, another poll out today from George Washington University (read our post about it here) indicates that while Obama may be losing some ground, voters still favor him and his policies, along with those of congressional Democrats, more than those of the Republican opposition when measured by favorability and approval numbers and who is trusted more on a range of issues
Forty-eight 48 percent of voters said his economic policies have run up a record deficit while failing to end the recession or slow job losses while 45 percent said Obama had helped avert an even worse crisis and was building the foundation for recovery.
Still, 56 percent hold former President Bush responsible for the current state of the economy while 32 percent say the burden of responsibility has passed to Obama.
Underlining the divide found in most polls between Americans' support for a health care overhaul versus how they see change affecting them personally, a Gallup poll conducted July 24-25 finds that 44 percent say reforming the system will improve medical care in the U.S. while a plurality - 34 percent - believe it will worsen their own care.
The public believes by 47 percent to 29 percent that an overhaul will expand access to health care with 13 percent expecting no change. But when asked how reform would affect their personal access to health care, 39 percent say there will be no change, 29 percent believe it will reduce their access and 21 percent say it will expand it.
While President Obama's overall job approval numbers have slipped, voters still favor him and his policies, along with those of congressional Democrats, more than those of the Republican opposition when measured by favorability and approval numbers and who is trusted more on a range of issues, according to a George Washington University "Battleground" poll conducted July 19-23.
Reflecting findings of other polls, 48 percent viewed congressional Republicans unfavorably while 37 percent saw them in a positive light. Democrats were seen favorably by a bare 45 percent to 44 percent ratio. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is viewed unfavorably by 51 percent (including 43 percent who see her "very" unfavorably) while 32 percent see her positively, indicating that she has become a polarizing figure. The numbers on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are not very significant since 38 percent never heard of him and 16 percent had no opinion. Only 7 percent never heard of Pelosi.
Voters are roughly split on whether they support or oppose the proposed health care overhaul being pushed by Democrats but the biggest chunk among them are the 41 percent who put themselves in the "strongly oppose" category, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll conducted July 26-27.
Fifty percent believe the quality of health care will get worse under an overhaul, 23 percent say it will get better and 23 percent expect it to be about the same. Fifty-three percent believe costs will go up, 23 percent say costs will go down and 18 percent say they will remain the same.