Monday, September 6th, 2010

How’s It Playing


How it’s Playing features polls and surveys from across the country on everything from generic drugs to the impact of  healthcare reform in Washington. RxRoundtable is constantly looking for new polling information. If you have a poll you would like featured in How it’s Playing, please contact us at info@rxroundtable.org

CNN

August 20, 2010

A majority of Americans favor President Obama’s proposal on tax cuts, but his health care bill remains unpopular, a new CNN/Opinion Research Survey suggests. On health care, the new law remains unpopular, partly because of the new mandate that all Americans must have health insurance (56 percent oppose the mandate). Other provisions in the new bill are popular, however. Nearly six in ten, for example, favor restrictions on insurance companies that require them to cover people who become seriously ill or who have a pre-existing condition. Overall, 56 percent oppose the new law, but not all of that opposition is likely to turn into votes against Democrats in November. Among those who oppose the legislation, 41 percent oppose the health care law because it is too liberal. But another 13 percent oppose the law because it was not liberal enough.

Wall Street Journal/NBC News

August 12, 2010

The survey suggests that Democrats should expect little if any appreciation from voters for legislative achievements such as overhauling the health care and financial systems.

Washington Post-ABC News

July 13, 2010

50% of Americans disapprove of Obama’s handling of health care, while 45% approve of his handling of health care.

Gallup

June 22, 2010

  • The healthcare reform legislation Congress passed in late March divided the public then and has not gained significant support in the three months since.

49% of Americans who today say passage of healthcare reform was a good thing, compared with 46% calling it a bad thing

  • The poll also shows that 50% of Americans are in favor of Congress’ repealing all or much of the law

Associated Press

June 18, 2010

  • 45 percent of American’s are now in favor of Obama’s health care law

Public thumbs up for Obama health law

  • The poll shows a significant shift in public sentiment considering that opposition hit 50 percent after Obama signed the health plan into law in late March

CNN

June 2, 2010

  • 43 percent of Americans approve of the health care bill which became law in April

56 percent of Americans still disapprove of the bill

  • The majority of Americans, 51 percent, believe the bill will be overall detrimental to the country. 46 percent believe it will be good for the country.

Quinnipiac University

May 26, 2010

  • Obama Approval Tips Positive For First Time This Year

American voters approve 48 – 43 percent of the job President Barack Obama is doing

  • American voters also say 42 – 36 percent that they would vote for a Democrat rather than a Republican.
  • But voters say 74 – 21 percent that the U.S. economy is in a recession now and disapprove 50 – 44 percent of the way President Obama is handling the economy

Kaiser Family Foundation

April 22, 2010

  • Americans are confused and divided on health care reform

56% of Americans say they don’t have enough information to understand how the measure will affect them

  • Overall the country is still divided regarding health care, 46 percent viewing it favorably, 40 percent unfavorably and 14 percent undecided.
  • However many of the 2010 provisions have strong bipartisan support.

Associated Press-GfK

April 15, 2010

  • Opposition to President Barack Obama’s health care law jumped after he signed it — a clear indication his victory could become a liability for Democrats in this fall’s elections.

Americans oppose the health care remake 50 percent to 39 percent.

  • Disapproval for Obama’s handling of health care also increased from 46 percent in early March before he signed the bill, to 52 percent currently — a level not seen since last summer’s angry town hall meetings.

USA Today/Gallup

March 29, 2010

  • Health care law too costly, most say

Nearly two-thirds of Americans say the health care overhaul signed into law last week costs too much and expands the government’s role in health care too far, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, underscoring an uphill selling job ahead for President Obama and congressional Democrats.

  • A plurality predicts the law will improve health care coverage generally and the overall health of Americans. But a majority says it also will drive up overall costs and worsen the federal budget deficit.
  • When it comes to their families, they see less gain and more pain: Pluralities say it will make coverage and quality of care worse for them. By 50%-21%, they predict it will make their costs higher.
  • Opponents of the health care bill are a bit more likely than supporters to say the vote will have a major impact on their vote for Congress in the fall. Three in 10 are much more likely to vote for a candidate who opposes the bill. One in four are much more likely to vote for a candidate who supports it.

Pharmaceutical Care Management Association

March 10, 2010

  • Three in Four Enrollees Oppose Legislation to Change the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program

Seventy-four percent of those enrolled in the Federal Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) oppose a new effort by Congress to change the program’s prescription drug benefits, according to a new poll released by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA).

  • Eighty-three percent of FEHBP’s enrollees are satisfied with their prescription drug coverage, according to the survey.

Associated Press

March 9, 2010

  • Half of all Americans say health care should be changed a lot or “a great deal”

A new Associated Press-GfK Poll finds a widespread hunger for improvements to the health care system, which suggests President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies have a political opening to push their plan.

  • More than four in five Americans say it’s important that any health care plan have support from both parties. And 68 percent say the president and congressional Democrats should keep trying to cut a deal with Republicans rather than pass a bill with no GOP support.
  • 43 percent of those surveyed said Obama and Congress should keep working to pass health care this year, while 41 percent said they should start from scratch.

Washington Times

February 17, 2010

  • 57 percent of Americans do not like either of the competing health care bills produced by the Senate and House and say Congress should start over

“The American public wants Congress to start the health care debate over from scratch – just as Republicans have been pushing – amid growing talk among Democrats about the need to use a procedural end run to ram through a revised overhaul bill.”

USA TODAY/Gallup

January 22, 2010

  • 55 percent of those surveyed want Democrats to go back to the drawing board for a more bipartisan health care bill

“A majority of Americans say President Obama and congressional Democrats should suspend work on the health care bill that has been on the verge of passage and consider alternatives that would draw more Republican support, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds.”

  • 25 percent of Democrats say lawmakers should draft a new bill, as do 56 percent of independents and 87 percent of Republicans.
  • 46 percent say that health care is important but that there are other problems they should address first; 19 percent say health care shouldn’t be a major priority.

Associated Press

November 24, 2009

  • 60 percent of Americans say they are following the health care debate very closely or fairly closely

“Most Americans don’t expect a health care overhaul to affect their lives directly, but those who worry about the fallout outnumber those expecting to come out ahead, a poll out Tuesday has found.”

  • 57 percent said their own access to medical care would stay the same if health care form is passed, 28 percent said they thought their access to care would get worse, 15 percent said they thought access to care would improve
  • 61 percent said their personal financial situation would stay about the same if health care reform is passed, 27 percent said they thought the health care bill would make them worse off financially, 12 percent expected a financial improvement

Washington Post/ABC News

November 17, 2009

  • 49 percent of Americans continue to oppose health care reform legisation

“A new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows Americans deeply divided over the proposals under consideration and majorities predicting higher costs ahead.”

  • 52 percent say an altered system would probably make their own care more expensive
  • 48 percent say they support the proposed health care reform legislation changes

Consumers Union

October 5, 2009

  • 25 percent of Americans have been unable to afford medical bills or medication

The Consumers Union survey of 1,002 adults from Sept. 17 to 20 found that among the ways people have tried to cut back on health care costs:

  • 25 percent have been unable to afford medical bills or medication
  • 20 percent skipped filling prescriptions
  • 15 percent took expired medication
  • 15 percent skipped scheduled dosages of prescription

The Greenlining Institute

September 14, 2009

  • 78 percent of Americans see Washington’s side-deals with pharmaceutical industry deals as harmful to real healthcare reform

Last June, President Obama announced an $80 billion deal with the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) to cut costs of prescription medicine. This deal has been met with mixed reviews in Washington and now a poll released by the Greenlining Institute shows that Americans feel the same way with almost eight out of ten Americans saying these deals are hindering the healthcare reform effort. Read more.

Gallup

October 5, 2009

  • 40 percent of Americans polled support health care reform legislation

A poll released by Gallup on October 5, 2009 shows that approval of health care reform legislation increased modestly from 38 percent approval in September to 40 percent in the first week of October. Read more.