Healthcare reform: Americans are on the fence

November 18, 2009 at 07:00 PM

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Americans remain on the fence about the impact of healthcare reform, says Frank Newport of a recent Gallup poll.

The results, most of which were gathered before the passing of the healthcare reform bill recently, indicate that Americans are torn over the impact of the such a law on the American health care system. According to the survey, 41 percent say a new healthcare bill would benefit the system, while 40 percent disagree. Another 14 percent responded that the bill "wouldn't make much difference", while the remaining five percent indicated "no opinion".

When asked to consider the impacts of such a law on their own situation, Americans became more divided. Only 26 percent cited the bill as having a positive impact on their healthcare future while 36 percent indicated that the change would make their situations worse. Furthermore, nearly 4 out of 10 people seemed apathetic on the subject, saying a bill would make little to no difference or that they have no opinion.

In his article on the poll, Newport goes on to point out that Americans' reactions to the effect of the bill on the overall system versus their personal situations reflect "some skepticism about the long-term benefits of healthcare legislation, particularly at the personal level."Overall, at this point, less than half of the American public believes a change in legislation would benefit either the U.S. healthcare system or their own situations.

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