New poll: Pa. wants universal healthcare
The biggest story of the week, at least since Wednesday, was buried on the inside of Saturday's Patriot-News. "Pennsylvania Medical Society finds support for universal healthcare" was the story, and David Wenner, an old friend, was the reporter.
What it said--ready for a surprise?--is that nearly 66 percent of state residents want universal healthcare. That's up from a similar poll in July 2008, when 64.4 percent of state residents said they wanted everyone to receive the healthcare they need.
Republicans have been shouting and screaming all week, pointing to the upset victory of Republican Scott Brown over Democrat Martha Coakley in Massachusetts on Tuesday as evidence that "America" has turned against the Obama healthcare plan. Heck, all it really showed was that Coakley was a terrible candidate and Brown was a skillful one. And I have a gut feeling Kennedy fatigue may have set in after nearly 60 years, even though Coakley didn't ask for Kennedy help until it was too late.
Like Michael Dukakis, the former Massachusetts Governor who was the failed Democratic presidential candidate in 1988, Coakley punched all the right tickets on her way up, endorsed all the right causes. This Boston Globe story from before the election is a good summation of her pros and cons. Unlike Dukakis, her career centered around prosecutions of people for alleged sex crimes or crimes against children, notably nanny Louise Woodward. She also fought clemency for Gerald Amirault in the Fells Acre Day Care Case long after the "evidence" against him had been discredited as largely nonsensical. Coakley came off as a descendant of the Puritan prosecutors in Massachusetts.
Looking at her admittedly from the outside, Coakley seemed like a cold professional woman who knew little about Massachusetts outside her own wealthy enclave and circle of elite friends. Yet despite all that, she still got 47 percent of the vote to 52 percent for Scott Brown, who was a George W. Bush type of candidate, the one you'd want to have a beer with. And as we know all too well from eight years of Bush, that's a bad reason to vote for a candidate.
So Democrats in Pennsylvania, man up. Stay the course on universal healhcare--the people want it. You've got a reputable poll telling you so.
Comments
David ... thank you for posting our poll results on your blog. I want to point out that the poll also showed that while slightly more Pennsylvanians are for universal health care now compared to our July 2008 poll, the percentage who are against raising taxes to accomplish this grew even more.
Here's the email that was sent to reporters ...
In light of the recent election in Massachusetts and the upcoming State of the Union Address, here’s a timely Pennsylvania poll result related to health system reform.
According to polling completed during the week of January 11, 2010, Pennsylvania adults continue to have a relatively high level of interest in universal health care; however, opposition to raising taxes to provide such coverage appears to be increasing.
The Patient Poll, a statewide survey of Pennsylvania adults conducted by the Institute for Good Medicine at the Pennsylvania Medical Society, asked “Do you believe that this country should enact some form of universal health care?”
In the January 2010 poll, 65.7 percent said yes, compared to 63.4 percent who answered yes in July 2008, just before the last presidential election.
The poll also asked “Would you support increased taxes that you pay so that a universal health care program could be created?” This time, 27 percent said yes compared to 26.8 percent in July 2008. However, 49.2 percent said no, while 23.8 percent were not sure. In 2008, 41.8 percent answered no, while 31.4 percent were not sure.
Even though it is highly unlikely that universal health care will be part of health system reform, the poll shows the gap between what the public wants and their willingness to pay taxes for it.
The Patient Poll has a margin of error of 5.67 percent. The poll surveys Pennsylvanians age 21 and older.
Chuck Moran
Director
Institute for Good Medicine (www.goodmedicine.org)
At the Pennsylvania Medical Society (www.pamedsoc.org)
(717) 558-7820
cmoran@pamedsoc.org
Follow the I4GM and the medical society via Twitter at www.twitter.com/chuckmoran7
Resources
Institute for Good Medicine at the Pennsylvania Medical Society, www.goodmedicine.org
Family Health & Wellness, http://www.myfamilywellness.org/MainMenuCategories/FamilyHealthCenter/Health-reform.aspx, accessed January 21, 2010.
USA Today, Poll: Americans want health care bill, but not the cost, July 14, 2009, http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-07-13-poll-health-care_N.htm, accessed January 21, 2010.
USA Today, Nation must realize that health care reform isn't free, http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/07/nation-must-realize-that-health-care-reform-isnt-free-.html, accessed January 21, 2010.
January 2010 Patient Poll background
Conducted: January 2010
Margin of Error: 5.67 percent
Eligibility: Pennsylvania adults age 21 or older
Survey Consultants: Taylor Brand Group, Lancaster, Pa., and Greenfield Online, Connecticut.
Question: Do you believe that this country should enact some form of universal health care?
Answers:
Yes = 65.7%
No = 34.3%
Question: Would you support increased taxes that you pay so that a universal health care program could be created?
Answers:
Yes = 27.0%
No = 49.2%
Not Sure = 23.8%
July 2008 Patient Poll background
Conducted: January 2010
Margin of Error: 5.67 percent
Eligibility: Pennsylvania adults age 21 or older
Survey Consultants: Taylor Brand Group, Lancaster, Pa., and Greenfield Online, Connecticut.
Question: Do you believe that this country should enact some form of universal health care?
Answers:
Yes = 63.4%
No = 14.9%
Not sure = 21.8%
Question: Would you support increasing taxes on personal income to pay for a universal health care program?
Answers:
Yes = 26.8%
No = 41.8%
Not Sure = 31.4%
Posted by: Chuck Moran | January 25, 2010 10:40 AM