Poll shows that Americans really don't know much about the HCR bill, & are split on supporting it

[ehrnst]

http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/8058.cfm

The March Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds the public still divided on health reform legislation, with 46 percent of Americans backing the reform proposals on Capitol Hill, 42 percent opposing them and 12 percent saying they aren't sure. Six in 10 Americans say they have heard little or nothing about budget reconciliation. And many people continue to struggle with health costs, with nearly one in five saying cost increases have caused them or their employer to switch to a less comprehensive health plan.

The poll finds that Americans are also divided about what should happen next. Forty-two percent say “Congress has debated health care reform long enough and it is time for them to take a vote.” Thirty-six percent would like lawmakers to “go back to the drawing board and start over again on a new proposal.” And 20 percent say Congress should “move on to other topics.”

The public does not understand some important elements of the reform legislation, according to the poll. Only 15 percent of Americans, for instance, know that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has said the legislation will decrease the federal budget deficit over the next 10 years. And 55 percent believe the CBO has said the legislation will increase the deficit over that period.

[LiberalFighter]

1. How many bills that have been enacted have the public even understood during the process?

[MineralMan]

2. Not many. For that matter, how many has the Congress understood?

[Echo In Light]

3. +1 (although I suspect many knew exactly what the P.A. was all about despite contrary claims)

[Fumesucker]

4. I find even the simplifications mind bogglingly complex..

And to be honest I don't trust the simplifications to be accurate representations of what's actually going to happen.

The actual bill is a 2700 page spaghetti code kludge..

The Dems would have had a lot more success in selling something that doesn't confuse the average person.

[ehrnst]

5. KFF does a great "cliffs notes" on all the bills.

I suspect that an update will be out later today with the newest version of the bill:

http://www.kff.org/healthreform/sidebyside.cfm

[subterranean]

6. It rivals the Internal Revenue Code in its complexity.

I'm not surprised many people don't understand it. I've been following this process pretty closely, and even I'm not certain of many of the details. Not only that, but the details have changed with every new version and amendment. I can see why it's easy for those who are only paying marginal attention to be swayed by the right-wing fear-mongering, which seems to get a lot more media attention than the actual facts of the bill.