WaPo Poll: majorities support public option, health insurance mandate

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/19/AR2009101902451.html?hpid=topnews

I love this poll

With a headline on wapost.

From dailykos

Americans divide about evenly on the reform plan and Obama's handling of health care alike – neither better nor worse for him since summer. But 57 percent support one of the plan's most contentious elements, a government-sponsored insurance option, and that soars to 76 percent if it's limited to those who can't get affordable private insurance.

In other words, a bogus poll.

saying they will for the rest of their lives not ask for any public assistance in obtaining health care. If they are hit by a bus or hit by cancer they will have to pay cash, up front, for treatment. They will not get any assistance from the community which they decided not to be a part of (with regard to affordable health insurance).

if they are hit by a bus, we will however, push them to the side of the street and they can get over it or die right there. (if they want an ambulance to come for them they must prove they have cash in the bank to pay for the ambulance and any treatment at a hospital).

IF you want affordable health care for all then those who opt out, opt out for the rest of their lives. NO waiting until you get sick and THEN deciding you will join.

You're conflating the very logical refusal to be a captive customer of the private insurance industry with the imaginary straw-man of an imaginary army of welfare kings and queens who you're implying are picking your pocket.

If they were able to pay for insurance and willfully didn't then when they get a big bill their bankruptcy discharge should be adjusted to a significant portion of their income rather than a complete discharge

...in the only state that has a plan with a mandate, with fines, and no public option, the plan has 2-1 approval, and 11% in favor of repeal.

You probably travel in different circles.

The comments section is overflowing with negative opinions on the plan. Here's a telling comment:

...while down from 3-1, is still pretty good.

What's really impressive is the low score for repeal --11%.

It should be 100%, according to posters here, and it isn't -- which is why I don't think the comments on that site are any more dispositive one way or the other than those on this site.

Which raises some interesting questions... are the citizens of the Commonwealth all stupid? Duped?? Are they all in the pay of the insurance companies? They're certainly not all Republicans -- the state House is 10-1 Democratic, and the senate last I looked was 7-1 Democratic. Shouldn't they have all held out for single payer?

How can so many people be so wrong, when we're right?

NB: Notice no mention of subsidies in the question:

"Would you support or oppose a law that requires all Americans to have health insurance, either getting it from work, buying it on their own, or through eligibility for Medicare or Medicaid?"

Support 56% / Oppose 41%/ No opinion 3%.

When they re-polled the 'Oppose' respondents with details of HELP/HR 3200-level subsidies (400% of FPL), a third of that 41% switched to 'Support' -- Massachusetts-sized approval spread.

I personally favor a UK-style NHS public health provision -- I'm both a card-carrying socialist and a public school teacher, so I have a certain fondness for that particular model -- but to assume that a purchase-mandate-subsidize model is a guaranteed political catastrophe for the party proposing it simply won't wash.

No one I know voted for Nixon or Reagan -- they won four elections between them.

The approval rate by actual sick people is much lower.

But seeing as how those running this thing perfer not to have it i see it being a triggered PO to make everyone happy (even if it is just 1 republican -- remember: 1 republican is more important than a democratic majority :shrug:)....watering down compromise,if you will. I would be blown away if it is a striaght up PO without a trigger since we have Reid, and Baucus involved in the making of the final bill...it just wouldnt make logical sense...especially since now we have 1 republican supporting a bill that doesnt have a PO at all (likely she will not vote on the final bill though) and the WH seems desparate to get at least 1 republican support for anything.