September 2nd, 2009 – As vocal grassroots protesters and mainstream America spoke out against Health Care reform, the tide has shifted against the current iteration of Health Care reform. American voters, by a 55 to 35 percent margin, are worried that Congress will spend too much money and add to the deficit, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released in August.
By a similar 57 to 37 percent margin, voters say health care reform should be dropped if it adds significantly to the deficit. By a 72 to 21 percent margin, voters do not believe that President Obama will keep his promise to overhaul the health care system without adding to the deficit, according to an independent national poll from Quinnipiac University.
Now that a majority of public opinion has turned against Congresses sweeping Health Reform proposals, it appears that the Democrats may not have the votes to push their $239 billion Health Reform bill through. However, when the politicians return to Washington next week, things do look favorable for a scaled down health care reform bill that does not include the controversial public plan option.
The public plan option was seen by the public and many economists as an end run that would lead to a system of government run insurance and socialized medicine. In light of the government’s huge deficit and the country’s fragile economic recovery, the more fiscally conservative “Blue Dog” Democrats have been very concerned with the huge price tag associated with the Health Reform Bill.
Democratic Colorado Sen. Mark Udall, who supports a public option plan, said there are a number of proposals that have a good shot at garnering bipartisan support, including: blocking insurance companies from denying coverage to patients with pre-existing conditions, ending gender ratings, and expanding Medicaid coverage to include more poor people.
