As with all polls, the timbre, syntax, inflection, and word choice greatly influences the outcome of the responses–although Rasmussen tries to eliminate this factor as much as they can. Nevertheless, one can’t help but wonder, what if the questions were asked differently? (Proposed Changes are in Red)
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1* Regardless of what they think of the overall plan, many people have different opinions on individual reform proposals. I am going to read you a list of items included in the proposed health care legislation. For each please let me know if you Strongly Favor, Somewhat Favor, Somewhat Oppose, or Strongly Oppose that proposal.
Okay, the plans before Congress would prohibit people from choosing insurance plans with lower premiums and higher deductibles.
The plans before Congress reduce an individual’s choices in regards to lower premiums and higher deductibles.
8% Strongly favor
16% Somewhat favor
19% Somewhat oppose
45% Strongly oppose
11% Not sure
2* The plan would require nearly all employers to provide health insurance for their employees or pay a penalty.
The plan requires employers to spend more money that could be paid in salary in order to comply with a federal regulation that demands they instead provide an insurance package that will invariably be chosen on the basis of cost to the company…
36% Strongly favor
15% Somewhat favor
12% Somewhat oppose
35% Strongly oppose
2% Not sure
3* The plan would provide subsidies to help low-income people buy health insurance and expand Medicaid to help the poorest get insurance.
The plan takes tax dollars and distributes them to people of the government’s choosing.
38% Strongly favor
19% Somewhat favor
15% Somewhat oppose
25% Strongly oppose
3% Not sure
4* The plan would impose new rules on insurance companies and force them to accept all applicants without regard to pre-existing conditions.
The plan allows people to wait to become sick until they buy insurance–taking all the risk away from the consumer and putting it all on the insurance provider, which, in reality is not insurance at all, but rather it is a mandated charity or simply another tax for running a business that caters to qualified consumers.
52% Strongly favor
22% Somewhat favor
10% Somewhat oppose
12% Strongly oppose
3% Not sure
5* The legislation in Congress would spend several hundred billion dollars over the coming decade to expand coverage of the uninsured.
The legislation in Congress would spend several hundred billion dollars–probably in the trillions–over the next decade to grow a bureaucracy that may serve to cover an additional 4% of the American population.
26% Strongly favor
20% Somewhat favor
13% Somewhat oppose
37% Strongly oppose
4% Not sure
6* The plan before Congress would create an independent board to carry out cost-control reforms within Medicare
The plan before Congress creates an independent board to decide which senior citizens get treatment and which don’t–and how much treatment.
28% Strongly favor
21% Somewhat favor
15% Somewhat oppose
28% Strongly oppose
8% Not sure
7* Another proposal would create an insurance exchange where people can shop for competing insurance plans.
Another proposal would create an insurance exhange where a government bureaucracy can decide the priority of one insurance company over another based on political favor.
45% Strongly favor
33% Somewhat favor
9% Somewhat oppose
9% Strongly oppose
5% Not sure
8* The plan would prohibit coverage of abortion by any insurance plan that receives federal government subsidies.
If the Stupak Amendment is defeated, the plan will allow clients wishing to get an abortion with federal monies several loopholes for doing so.
39% Strongly favor
14% Somewhat favor
14% Somewhat oppose
26% Strongly oppose
6% Not sure
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So, obviously my questions are way more biased than Rasmussen’s. However, it is interesting to note that policies that on their surface seem altruistic and philanthropic are really nothing more than an expansion of federal governmental authority, which perfectly correlates with a retraction of state and individual authority.
