NEW POLL: Voters Prioritize Improving Current System Over The ‘Public Option’

WASHINGTON – The Partnership for America’s Health Care Future today released a new flash poll revealing that voters prioritize improving our current health care system over offering a new government insurance system, often referred to as the “public option.”

The poll, first reported by POLITICO this morning, finds that voters across party lines also prefer a presidential candidate focused on making those improvements over one who wants to expand government insurance systems, and majorities “believe that negative outcomes, such as increased taxes and fewer employer-based options, are more likely to occur than positive ones if a government health care program that people could choose were put into place – and most believe it would be unlikely to improve their health care or that of their family.”

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported Sunday that “[g]overnment surveys show that about 90% of the population has coverage, largely preserving gains from President Barack Obama’s years.  Independent experts estimate that more than one-half of the roughly 30 million uninsured people in the country are eligible for health insurance through existing programs.”

The survey’s key findings include:

Voters strongly prioritize improving the current system over efforts to offer a choice of a government health care plan, and that prioritization extends across party.

• Across states, strong majorities (ranging from 59 to 76 percent) say it is more important to them that we focus on improving our current system to enhance quality and lower costs instead of creating a government-run plan that anyone can choose to enroll in (ranging from 20 to 38 percent).
• Importantly, even majorities of Democrats in most of the tested states prioritize improving our current system over offering the choice of a government plan.

Voters prefer a presidential candidate focused on making those improvements to our current health care system over one who wants to expand government programs and allow people to opt in, with voters across party lines agreeing.

• Strong majorities across states also prefer a presidential candidate who will focus on improving our current system (ranging from 61 to 78 percent) over one who wants to expand programs to let people opt in (ranging from 16 to 33 percent).
• Majorities of Democrats in most of the states tested prefer the candidate who prioritizes improving the current system.

Voters believe that negative outcomes, such as increased taxes and fewer employer-based options, are more likely to occur than positive ones if a government health care program that people could choose were put into place – and most believe it would be unlikely to improve their health care or that of their family.
           

• Across states, majorities believe that their taxes are likely to go up, employers will reduce benefits, more people will rely on the government, and that the program will crowd out other programs and benefits they rely on.
• By contrast, across states, most believe that it would not significantly improve their family’s health care.

The poll, conducted from July 17 to July 21, 2019 by Forbes Tate Partners on behalf of the Partnership for America’s Health Care Future (PAHCF), surveyed an online representative sample of 3,300 registered voters across 11 states regarding their views on the debate over America’s health care future.  The sample included 300 registered voters in Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina and New Hampshire.

• To read more about the survey’s findings, CLICK HERE.

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