Jennifer Rubin blogs about a fascinating poll at Gallup, showing that Americans overwhelmingly believe individuals “rather than the government — have the primary responsibility for ensuring that they have health insurance.” Rubin breaks down the numbers for us:
By a huge 62 to 35 percent margin, Democrats say it’s the government’s. Republicans believe the opposite—by an 89 to 10 percent margin, they say it is up to individuals. What’s remarkable is that independents are far closer to Republicans: by 64 to 34 percent, they maintain that the responsibility lies with individuals. By a 61 to 37 percent margin, Americans overall also say it is the individual’s responsibility, not the government’s.
Another Gallup question yielded a seemingly contradictory result, “54% of Americans” believe “it is the responsibility of the federal government to make sure all Americans have healthcare coverage”. While that number is the lowest in “Gallup trends,” it still is a majority.
I note the absence of the word, “insurance” in that second question. Perhaps, it’s that Americans want to make sure that there is a social safety net, that we do care for the less fortunate. It is striking that the number has significantly declined (by 10 full points) since Obama’s election. Maybe now that the national debate has turned to health care, people realize that the cost of that coverage is increased government regulation. As a result, they are less certain it is the government’s responsibility.
Perhaps the solution is something that I don’t see much discussed in the current debate, health insurance vouchers. The problem here is how to pay for them with a government already severely in debt.
Still, the first poll shows why, despite poll numbers showing decreasing support for Obamacare, the Democrats are still pushing a statist approach–it’s what their constituents demand.
But the government FUBARs everything it touches especially when it comes to the less fortunate. We’ve spent trillions of dollars on a “war on poverty”. Forty years on, we still have poverty and Chairman Obama’s adding even more for good measure.
I gotta go with Rush. Wal-Mart does more for low-income folks than the liberals do.
It’s just a fundamental difference in belief about government. Conservatives believe in things like charity being separate from government, and liberals believe the government is a charity, so we should all just pony up.
Just check out rates of charitable contributions on people like Obama/Biden v. Bush/Cheney. When you already believe 1/3 to 1/2 your income is going to a charity like the U.S. govt, why would you give anymore.
In MA, if you want to purchase affordable, catastrophic health insurance … well, you can’t. The nanny-state won’t allow it. Only platinum-plated policies are allowed, which are really health maintenance pre-pay plans. Real health ‘insurance’ to protect me from financial ruin … not here.
So now, every person in the state is required to have an ‘all-you-can-eat’ buffet style health plan where the incentive is to consume as much as you can. Cost, and price, be damned!
Is it any wonder the emergency rooms are over-flowing with patients in MA? But the problem with crowded ER’s was supposed to be a lack of health insurance? I guess our wise leaders on Beacon Hill missed Econ 101, and this is the same crowd currently at work on Capital Hill. And apparently, in FL too.
But but but the liberals say Obamacare isn’t going to be like, Canada or the UK or like MA or like TN. It’s going to be good, it’s going to be great!
#4
And Medicare wasn’t supposed to cost more than $12 Billion by 1990.
http://tinyurl.com/lmsfbm
“it is the responsibility of the federal government to make sure all Americans have healthcare coverage”
I guess the interpretation of the question would depend on whose being asked the question? I would answer the question, they have the responsibility to ensure that over regulation does not stymie competition and that access to markets is not hindered. And I’m sure others took it to mean, to provide for. If they had reworded the question to be more specific “is it the responsibility of the federal government to provide healthcare coverage to all Americans” You may well have seen a different result. Making sure they have and providing for are two different things.
Another interpretation could be, that some persons feel government should force every one to buy. The question is to vague and leading.
So if government guarantees food, housing, transportation and health care tell me what percentage of the masses won’t get up to go to work everyday?