Even as the health overhaul legislation creeps forward, one thing that鈥檚 been moving even slower is public opinion. The one-word description of American attitudes from different polls and different pollsters have been: 鈥�,鈥� 鈥�,鈥� and, well, 鈥�.鈥� What鈥檚 more, they have been for months, and are expected to remain so barring a major new development in the debate, say the Kaiser Family Foundation鈥檚 experts. (KHN is a program of the foundation).
A new Kaiser 鈥漵hows little movement in measures of public opinion鈥� from recent months.鈥� According the poll, 35 percent want Congress to take on health care now, and like what they鈥檝e heard about the current Democratic bills. Slightly fewer, 33 percent , want reform, but not what Democratic lawmakers have in mind. And 26 percent think Congress should not spend time on the issue now.
鈥淭here doesn鈥檛 appear to be anything that suggests debate is going to tip radically,鈥� said Drew Altman, president and chief executive of the Kaiser Family Foundation.
What recent polls do show is that views can sway as specific issues, such as or the , rise and fall from prominence in the debate. But, changes in people鈥檚 views on those specific issues don鈥檛 seem to affect their broader outlook about the legislation or the need for an overhaul.
鈥淭here are two different health reform debates,鈥� Altman said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 the inside game and the swirling debate about the issues in contention on Capitol Hill. Then, there are the issues mostly on the public鈥檚 mind, and those are bread and butter issues.鈥� At the top of the rankings for issues that affect people personally was聽鈥渕aking sure affordable health insurance plans are available;鈥� 79 percent that was 鈥渆xtremely鈥� or 鈥渧ery鈥� important.
Kaiser鈥檚 monthly tracking poll is built to 鈥渟imulate the debate,鈥� Altman explains, capturing shifts on issues important at the time. The November edition, for instance, found that a top priority is 鈥渘ot adding to the country鈥檚 budget deficit.鈥� The public option and malpractice reform got lower marks, with less than 20 percent saying either is 鈥渆xtremely important.鈥�
But, the poll also measures broader views. Those have remained more constant, in part because issues individuals are immediately concerned about, like how much their insurance costs and whether they have access to medical care, don鈥檛 turn on a dime like Washington鈥檚 message machine.