Americans divided over healthcare reform

Virtually all Americans are in favor of reforming the U.S. healthcare system, but they're deeply divided as to how the job should be done, according to a new UPI/Zogby poll. About 45 percent favor major reforms, and another 45 minor reforms, but they disagreed strongly as to whether a market-based or government-driven solution made more sense. And they don't believe any of the current political leaders in place are likely to get the job done right, either; less than one-third said they trust President Bush on healthcare issues, and only slightly more (45 percent) said they thought the Democratic Congress can address the industry's issues. About 20 percent said that neither would do well. These results suggest that neither politicians nor private healthcare leaders are taking consumers' financial concerns into account when they propose reforms, researchers concluded. On the other hand, consumers seem more willing to compromise than they have in the past, which leaves the door open for some kind of reform to happen, observers say.

To find out more about the survey's results:
- read this United Press International article

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