Poll: Majority in N.C. favors public option

Elon, N.C. — A majority of people surveyed in North Carolina support national health insurance legislation that would include a so-called "public option" for people to buy insurance, according to an Elon University Poll released Monday.

About three-fourths of respondents to the poll, which surveyed 703 residents statewide Oct. 26-29, said the U.S. health care system needs to be reformed. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

The public option, which would create a government-sponsored health plan for people who cannot get coverage elsewhere, has been among the most controversial aspects of proposed health care reform in Congress.

Fifty-four percent of North Carolina residents surveyed by Elon University said they would support a public option. Forty-one percent said they would use a public option plan should one become available.

Yet, those surveyed were evenly split on the concept of a national insurance plan where the federal government pays most medical and hospital costs for all citizens, with 47 percent saying the support the idea and 47 percent opposed to it.

“Obvious from these results is that citizens recognize that the health system is in need of reform but, like most Americans, are divided over how to do it,” Hunter Bacot, director of the Elon University Poll, said in a statement.

The number of North Carolina residents who have private health insurance has dropped in the past year, according to the poll. Seventy-three percent of those surveyed said they have private coverage, compared with 83 percent in a September 2008 poll.

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I am truly not surprised by this poll. North Carolina voted for Barry and Bev in 2008. It is a tell tale sign that the folks in this state want to have their money fund wasteful social programs to make themselves feel better and in turn, loss their liberties and freedom! Soon, this state will be like Conn. and New York...no one will be able to offered to live in the state except the extremely wealthy and those sucking off the system.

dogman1973
November 2, 2009 7:46 p.m.

twetherby,

No talking points. I consistently post THE CBO website.

http://cboblog.cbo.gov/?p=403

Read it and weep. You can eat crow with your "I never saw blah blah" in the CBO reports, because it's in plain English on that page. FROM the CBO itself.

I can see why YOU don't like them. But Rush Limbaugh has been reporting CBO numbers like he was reading the Bible for a decade.

All of a sudden they're bad number is telling...

Here, again in case you missed it:

http://cboblog.cbo.gov/?p=403

and again:

http://cboblog.cbo.gov/?p=403

MakoII
November 2, 2009 6:40 p.m.

So, Mako II has been on this thread constantly since 1pm, claiming to be independent, yet supporting the liberal cause with obscure talking points. He cleverly uses the CBO numbers when they support his argument, but ignores them when they do not. Personally, I would never use the CBO numbers as they have always been wrong, particularly when they attempt to predict costs any further than a year or two. They consistently under estimate the costs of programs over the long term. I have not read any recent CBO report that claims that this public option will actually SAVE money, as Mako parrots from his talking points, but I did see the estimates recently that showed the spending on this program being backed loaded, meaning the bulk of the costs were in the later years and then escalated dramatically after year 10.

As I have said before, Mako shows up on all these stories and defends the liberal side to the nth degree. OFA must be paying well.

twetherby
November 2, 2009 6:18 p.m.

Just Ice, One more point.

"54 percent of residents support health insurance legislation that would include a public option." But only 41% would use it. I guess the difference is 13% said they would like a public option, but wouldn't use it. Do you suppose that's because 12% of the NC population is over age 65 and already has a government run public option (Medicare)? And we all know that 100% of those on Medicare love their Medicare and do not want to lose that, especially since they've been paying for it for the past 40 years.

larieke
November 2, 2009 5:15 p.m.

Not buying this poll for a second.

acbulldog
November 2, 2009 5:10 p.m.