Numbers Off the Charts in New California Field Poll on Health Care--Should Provide Impetus for Reforms

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

The California Field Poll just released a 39 page survey that should provide ammunition for those who want to reform the state’s health care/health insurance system. As is usual, the devil is in the details—and there are lot here—for proponents of various programs to crow about and spin.

One thing comes through loud and clear: California voters are concerned about California’s failure to enact health care reform this year. They are very concerned about their own status—losing health care coverage, being unable to pay medical bills, employers cutting back the amount they pay for health insurance, and cancellations by insurance carriers because of health conditions. And, in response to a number of separate questions, they overwhelmingly support reforms, including requiring health insurance companies to offer coverage without regard to health conditions, extending health insurance to Californians who do not have it, and other reforms. They expect the current system to worsen in the next 5 years.

The big losers in this poll? Those who do not favor government action. Those who espouse the idea that it is one’s own responsibility to obtain health insurance is down to 20% from 26% in the last survey taken in December. It trails the responsibility of both employers and the government in this question. Repubilcan leaders in the state legislature, California’s major insurance companies, business groups and the California Chamber of Commerce, and the news media, in particular have significantly higher unfavorable ratings than favorable. The California Nurses Association polls the bet with a 53% to 15% favorable rating.

There are some questions about whether the funding sources in the Governor and Speaker Nunez’s plan would be sufficient, and other questions about it. But, overall, after being read various components of the plan, 72% said they supported it.

Now for the Details

The devil is, they say, in the details.

First of all, this is an accurate survey of California’s voters opinions based on the questions asked. There is a sampling of 1202 California voters—not Californians as a whole and not likely voters. The margin of error is 2.9%. They were polled between March 12 and March 30, 2008.

For some reason the results were not released until this morning—4 weeks after the survey concluded. It was conducted by Field under a grant from the California Wellness Foundation, www.tcwf.org/ health a private foundation that “prioritizes eight issues for funding: diversity in the health professions, environmental health, healthy aging, mental health, teenage pregnancy prevention, violence prevention, women’s health, and work and health.” Presumably CWF had a role in the design of the survey, the questions asked, and the focus of it. Most notably, the poll centers around the Schwarzenegger-Nunez plan and does not ask about single payer or SB 840, Senator Sheila Kuehl’s rival plan that is still in the legislative process.

Nevertheless, there is a wealth of data here.

Concerns About Health Care