Kaiser Health Tracking Poll -- December 2009
The December Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds a dip on several measures of public opinion on health care reform. The number of Americans who say they personally will be better off if reform passes fell to 35 percent in December, down from 42 percent last month. Meanwhile, 27 percent say they will be worse off, and 32 percent said they don’t expect to see much of a difference. Similarly, 45 percent say the country would be better off if health care reform passes down from 54 percent in November. This compares to 31 percent who say the country will be worse off and 17 percent who see no impact. Public opinion in December looks more like it did in August, the last time this debate became so contentious.
Despite the dip on these measures, 54 percent of the public says that it is more important than ever to pursue health reform now, while 41 percent say the country cannot afford it. Those proportions have remained fairly steady throughout the fall, though the gap between the majority who want reform now and those who don’t tightened this month.
The December poll, the ninth in a series designed and analyzed by the Foundation’s public opinion survey research team, examines voters’ specific health care issue interests and experiences and perceptions about health care reform.