Nate Silver had a post about the poor (and perhaps intentionally bad) wording of survey questions about the public option. He find two that meet his criteria for properly worded unambiguous questions. The first is from Quinnipiac:
There is still strong support for critical elements of the Obama/Democratic plan:
- 62 – 32 percent in favor of giving people the option of a government insurance plan;
- 61 – 36 percent for higher taxes on high income earners to pay for health care reform;
- 60 – 32 percent in favor of insurance subsidies for individuals making up to $43,000 and families of four making up to $88,000;
- 54 – 38 percent for requiring businesses to provide insurance or pay the government.
The second from Time/Abt SRBI:
The Time Poll also finds that almost all Americans (85%) are paying close attention to the debate over healthcare. However, there is little consensus on potential solutions. A majority of Americans support a healthcare bill that:
- Provides tax breaks to small businesses to make healthcare coverage for the workers more affordable – 90%
- Requires healthcare insurance companies to offer coverage to anyone who applies, even if they have a pre-existing health condition – 80%
- Provides coverage for almost all Americans, even if the government needs to subsidize healthcare for those who can’t afford it – 63%
- Raises income taxes on people earning more than $280,000 a year to help pay for providing healthcare to most Americans, even those who cannot afford it – 57%
- Creates a government sponsored public health insurance option to compete with private health insurance plans – 56%
So one poll finds 62% support for a public option and the other finds 56%. This doesn’t reflect what republican Congress critters are saying.
