Analysis: Support for health reform drops if people think it'll cost them more

Oct 15 2009

The Christian Science Monitor reports that while Americans want change, they are "hesitant about paying for it."

"Democrats in Washington are navigating treacherous electoral terrain as they craft healthcare reform legislation, judging by new polls that show Americans pulled by conflicting desires on healthcare," according to the CSM. "Asked which healthcare problem was most serious - keeping costs down or covering the uninsured - 59 percent of Americans said providing insurance, according to a CBS News poll. Only 35 percent chose 'keeping health care costs down for average Americans.' But polls have found that such statements can be deceiving. Support for grand plans can tail off when people think in personal dollars-and-cents terms." Earlier this year, a CBS News/New York Times poll support for a program that insured all Americans fell from 57 percent to 43 percent when the plan included a tax increase of $500" (Trumbull, 10/13).