Americans Speak Out On Health Care

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Voters will be listening closely to what presidential candidates have to say about health care. With a sixth of our country’s population uninsured and many workers facing downgrades in employer-provided health coverage, Americans of all political stripes are demanding change. However, questions addressing the specifics of health-care reform returned mixed opinions from our respondents. Below are highlights from a nationally representative poll conducted by YouGov/Polimetrix for the Economist.

Americans are aware that broadening health coverage will come at a price. Indeed, more respondents were concerned with the high cost of health care than with the number of people uninsured.

When it comes to health care, what do you think is the bigger problem?

More respondents thought that Democrats would do a better job of handling health care than Republicans. Given that Democratic candidates all support some form of universal coverage, it was not surprising that more of you also said the government should guarantee health insurance for all citizens, even if it means higher taxes.

Which party do you think would do a better job handling the problem of health care?

While more of those polled supported universal coverage, respondents were roughly split on how health insurance should be funded.

Should the U.S. government guarantee health insurance for all citizens, even if it means raising taxes?

Would you prefer a government-funded, single-payer plan or a mixed, individual/employer-funded plan?

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