The Anti‐Universal Coverage Club: One Big Tent
A new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health asked likely Republican and Democratic primary voters their views on health care reform. In particular, the poll asked whether respondents would prefer that a presidential candidate propose:
- "A new health plan that would make a major effort to provide health insurance for all or nearly all of the uninsured BUT would involve a substantial increase in spending
- "A new health plan that is more limited and would cover only some of the uninsured BUT would involve less new spending [or]
- "Keeping things basically as they are"
("Don't know" and "Refused" were also options.)
Nearly 70 percent of likely Republican primary voters rejected the universal coverage option (#1). Forty-two percent said they preferred the more moderate, less universal option (#2), while 27 percent said they preferred to keep things as they are (#3).
Interestingly, nearly one-third of likely Democratic primary voters also rejected the universal coverage option: 22 percent said they would prefer the more moderate option, while 8 percent preferred the status quo.
Looks like there are candidates for the Anti-Universal Coverage Club on both sides of the political aisle.
