(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many adults in the United States are concerned about the effect of the recent overhaul to health care regulations, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 58 per cent of respondents think the cost of health care will increase under the new legislation, up six points since March.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many adults in the United States are concerned about the effect of the recent overhaul to health care regulations, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 58 per cent of respondents think the cost of health care will increase under the new legislation, up six points since March.
Health care in the U.S. is based on a system of benefits provided by employers, as well as the Medicare and Medicaid programs which allocate health insurance for the elderly, disabled and poor. Around 47 million Americans are uninsured.
In American presidential elections, candidates require 270 votes in the Electoral College to win the White House. In November 2008, Democratic nominee Obama secured a majority of electoral votes, defeating Republican candidate John McCain. Obama became the first African American president in U.S. history when he took over from George W. Bush—who served two four-year terms—in January 2009.
One of Obama’s main campaign pledges was to increase access to health care for all Americans. On Mar. 23, Obama signed the new health care legislation—which was approved by the House of Representatives in a 219-212 vote—into law. Obama declared: "We are not a nation that scales back its aspirations. (…) Everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care."
The bill imposes an "individual mandate" which requires all Americans to buy health insurance—with federal subsidies available to those who cannot afford the premiums—and compels companies with more than 50 employees to provide health insurance for their workers or face fines. It also expands Medicaid funding, and allows children to stay on the insurance plans of their parents up to age 26. Another provision of the bill forbids insurance companies from withholding or denying coverage to any person who has a pre-existing medical condition.
On Jun. 17, Republican Utah senator Orrin Hatch introduced bills that seek to eliminate two components of the health care legislation—the "individual mandate" and the fines for companies that fail to insure their workers—saying, "I’ve been working on a systematic approach to dismantling Obamacare because it’s going to wreck our country. In the end, they are going to just demand we go to socialized medicine."
Polling Data
Under this new health care legislation, do you think the cost of health care in America will increase, stay the same, or decrease?
|
Jun. 2010
|
Mar. 2010
|
|
|
Increase
|
58%
|
52%
|
|
Stay the same
|
19%
|
18%
|
|
Decrease
|
10%
|
14%
|
|
Not sure
|
14%
|
17%
|
Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,021 American adults, conducted on Jun. 9 and Jun. 10, 2010. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
