Broad Voter Support for Health Reform

Survey: Regardless of Party, Health Care Is an Important Issue

By Todd Zwillich
WebMD Health News

Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD

Jan. 15, 2008 -- Nearly nine in 10 Americans say health care issues will be at least somewhat important to them when choosing which candidate to support for president, according to a survey.

The report comes as health care continues to rank at or near the top of voters' concerns in the elections, according to national polls.

The survey -- released by the nonprofit health policy group Commonwealth Fund -- shows broad support for fundamental reforms to the nation's health delivery system, which several candidates have made a key campaign theme. Eighty-six percent of 3,501 adults polled said candidates' health care plans would be very important or somewhat important in their decision of whom to back for president.

That support is somewhat stronger among self-described Democrats than among Republicans and independents; but all three groups show strong backing for health reforms, the survey shows.

In all, seven in 10 likely voters, including 80% of Democrats, 50% of Republicans, and 70% of independents support reform that would legally require all Americans to have health insurance, according to the survey.

Two leading Democratic candidates -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y. and former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., have called for similar nationwide insurance mandates. None of the Republican candidates has proposed requiring people to carry health insurance.

Many candidates of both parties have plans they say will help cut rising health care costs, which now consume $2.1 trillion per year and 16% of the national economy, according to federal statistics released last week.

But plans to extend medical insurance to some or all of the 47 million Americans who now lack it are expected to cost billions more.

Who Pays?

The majority of Republicans, Democrats, and independents also say they support having individuals, employers, and the government share responsibility for health care costs. Republican candidates have mostly favored deregulation and tax changes that experts say would cause many employers to stop offering health coverage for workers.

They include former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, both of whom have proposed eliminating the tax incentive employers now get for covering workers.

"Republican candidates would effectively decrease the incentive for employers to offer coverage," says Sara Collins, assistant vice president at the Commonwealth Fund and a co-author of the report.

While Democrats' plans appear to be more in line with voters' stated desires on health reform, details are relatively few. Most Democratic candidates have proposed paying for health reforms by repealing tax cuts for wealthier Americans pushed through by President Bush.

"In terms of particulars ... it is hard to tell with the level of detail they are speaking -- at least in their proposals right now -- whether this financing would be adequate," Collins says.

SOURCES: Commonwealth Fund: "The Public's Views on Health Reform in the 2008 Presidential Election," Jan. 15, 2008. Catlin, A. Health Affairs, Jan. 8, 2008; vol 27: pp 14-29. Sara R. Collins, senior vice president, Commonwealth Fund.

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