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Health Care Top Issue in Poll
With the primary season finally underway, what do voters have on their minds?
Health care and the economy.
A recent Associated Press poll showed that they were the top issues that voters said were "extremely important" to them, more so than the war in Iraq.
The poll was taken before former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, which could put terrorism and national security more front and center in coming weeks. But health care has consistently remained among top domestic voter concerns, and that's not likely to change.
Some other health care findings from the poll:
More people (32%) said they were worried about facing unexpected medical expenses than any other issue they were asked about.
Sixty-five percent said the country should adopt a "universal health insurance program in which everyone is covered under a program like Medicare that is run by the government and financed by taxpayers."
Fifty-four percent said they supported a single-payer health care system, a national plan financed by taxpayers that would cover all Americans through a single government plan.
More people (41%) trusted Democrats to do a better job of handling health care than Republicans (17%).
In other health care news, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled Dec. 26 that companies can cut their retirees' benefits once they turn 65 and are eligible for Medicare.
Medicare was also the topic of a recent study which found that the health of adults who were uninsured improved once they qualified for Medicare coverage.
While it may be in the news, health care is not always front and center on the campaign trail, no matter how important it is to voters. So if you want an in-depth look at where the candidates stand, take a look at our comparison chart and detailed platforms on each candidate.
And for those in Iowa, happy voting!
Valarie Basheda
Managing Editor
WebMD
Health care and the economy.
A recent Associated Press poll showed that they were the top issues that voters said were "extremely important" to them, more so than the war in Iraq.
The poll was taken before former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, which could put terrorism and national security more front and center in coming weeks. But health care has consistently remained among top domestic voter concerns, and that's not likely to change.
Some other health care findings from the poll:
More people (32%) said they were worried about facing unexpected medical expenses than any other issue they were asked about.
Sixty-five percent said the country should adopt a "universal health insurance program in which everyone is covered under a program like Medicare that is run by the government and financed by taxpayers."
Fifty-four percent said they supported a single-payer health care system, a national plan financed by taxpayers that would cover all Americans through a single government plan.
More people (41%) trusted Democrats to do a better job of handling health care than Republicans (17%).
In other health care news, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled Dec. 26 that companies can cut their retirees' benefits once they turn 65 and are eligible for Medicare.
Medicare was also the topic of a recent study which found that the health of adults who were uninsured improved once they qualified for Medicare coverage.
While it may be in the news, health care is not always front and center on the campaign trail, no matter how important it is to voters. So if you want an in-depth look at where the candidates stand, take a look at our comparison chart and detailed platforms on each candidate.
And for those in Iowa, happy voting!
Valarie Basheda
Managing Editor
WebMD
