Poll Reveals Voter Confusion Over Obama's, McCain's Healthcare Plans
Asked whose plan is better for them, 2 out of 5 say they don't know or don't see a difference
Many recent election polls have shown Barack Obama leading John McCain on the issue of healthcare. But a survey released this week found that, when the question is rephrased, that gap narrows dramatically.
This is particularly true among two critical groups: independent voters and senior citizens. Since healthcare continues to be a top concern for voters, the findings could give the McCain campaign some comfort.
A Gallup poll in early September that asked which candidate could better handle the issue of healthcare found that Obama enjoyed a 12 percentage-point lead. But when voters were asked in a more recent poll which healthcare plan they thought would most benefit them personally, that lead slipped to 6 percentage points. Perhaps more important, 2 in 5 registered voters surveyed in the recent Harris Interactive and Harvard School of Public Health poll said they didn't know or didn't think there was much difference between the plans.
Independent voters were divided: 26 percent saw McCain's plan as better for them, while 24 percent said Obama's. With seniors, similarly, 46 percent didn't have a clear preference; those who did split evenly, with 27 percent for each side.
"These are not bad results for the McCain campaign," Harris Poll Chairman Humphrey Taylor said in a statement.
Although economic issues have taken the forefront in the campaign, healthcare has remained a consistently important concern for voters—including independents. A Quinnipiac University poll this week found that, in the crucial swing states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida, 6 percent to 9 percent of independents named healthcare as the "single most important issue" to their vote.
The candidates' plans would affect voters in very different ways. Both candidates believe healthcare should be structured around the private insurance market, but from there, their proposals diverge. McCain would give tax credits of up to $5,000 for families, encouraging them to buy insurance plans through the private market and across state lines to increase competition. Meanwhile, Obama would aim for health insurance for all, supported by encouraging employers' involvement, expanding the federal Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance programs, and creating a new insurance market that would offer both private and public plans.
The Obama campaign, perhaps sensing a soft spot regarding its healthcare message, is attempting to refocus. Its first post-debate statement hammered home the issue, and a new advertisement on the candidates' plans began airing this morning. The McCain campaign responded by calling the advertisement "dishonest and false."
Reader Comments
McCain's Health Care Plan: Hazardous to your health
He wants to tax your health care plan, get rid of employer-based insurance which most people have. Thanks but not thanks! This video sums it up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8VsGH4e5wc
Health Plan Comparison
The McCain plan would re-write the tax code so that americans would be able to take 2500/single or 5,000/family directly off taxable income when income taxes are filed. Obama's plan would increase entitlement spending first through the SCHIP (State child health insurance plan) which is Medicaid by increasing the income threshold under which the benefit would be given (currently families of 4 making 50,000 or less are eligible for this plan) I'm not sure what the income level would be increased to. President Bush vetoed the increase in income threshold for SCHIP last year. The Obama plan would have to be paid for through taxes since the federal government pays for 25% of Medicaid, individuals pay through payroll taxes, and states and municipalities pay through property taxes. Medicaid is one of the fastest growing budgets for municipalities (in New York anyway). I do not think his (Obama's)employer based plan has quite jelled yet--at least it does not seem quite clear to me. It looks as though both plans will provide some kind of federally regulated health purchasing co-operative to provide cheaper rates for employers and individuals, similar to what has been done in Massachusetts. A revamp will not be an easy task especially with federal entitlements and the way in which legislation is written and passed. Personally I wish we had let Hillary Clinton do this in the early 1990's--as a healthcare policy specialist I thought she was on the right track, however we are stuck right now and with this terrible economy I wonder if anything will be accomplished by either of the presidential nominee's administrations.
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