Public support for reform shrinking

This is definitely bad news for President Obama and Democrats fighting to push through their version of health reform: A new Washington Post-ABC News poll has concluded that the public is losing faith that reform is needed and will produce positive results.

The poll found that 53 percent of Americans expect to see higher costs if current reforms are enacted, and 50 percent of respondents said they preferred the current health system as is. Thirty-seven percent said they felt their quality of care would be better under a reformed system.

One particularly dangerous stat for advocates was that 45 percent of respondents said reform would weaken Medicare--especially seniors--while 22 percent said they didn't share those fears. However, the idea of a Medicare buy-in for Americans 55 and older without insurance seems to be playing well, with 63 percent in favor of the idea.

To get more information on the poll:
- read this Kaiser Health News item

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