Voters Now Trust GOP Lawmakers About the Same as Obama on Health Care

The Quinnipiac survey was one of three released today showing a lack of public support for health care reform legislation as well as highlighting the intensity of those who oppose it. Those who oppose the proposal very strongly far outnumber those who support them strongly.

A Pew Research survey found 48 percent of those polled Jan. 6-10 opposed the measures moving through Congress while 39 percent supported them. An Allstate/National Journal poll, conducted Jan. 3-7, said 46 percent opposed the legislation, 44 percent supported it and 10 percent were undecided. (The margin of error is 2.8 points). Unlike the other two polls, the Allstate/Hotline survey shows a closer result, but it is a turnaround from its findings last September when 49 percent supported the proposals and 42 percent opposed them.

In the Quinnipiac poll, 42 percent said they trusted Obama more than GOP lawmakers on health care while 41 percent chose the Republicans, with 18 percent undecided. That's down from Obama's 45-40 margin last month, and way down from October when it was 47-31 percent. In July, voters favored Obama over Republican lawmakers by 53 percent to 33 percent.

Overall, Quinnipiac says 54 percent mostly disapprove of what they've heard of proposed health care changes while 34 percent approve and 12 percent are undecided, about the same as last month. Independents disapprove by 59 percent to 26 percent with 15 percent undecided. Forty-four percent say the proposed changes go too far, 29 percent say not fare enough, 17 percent rate them about right and 10 percent are undecided.

"Support for President Barack Obama's health care reform continues to decline marginally and now only about one in three voters say they mostly approve of the pending legislation. Opposition seems mostly driven by those who think the plan under consideration is too ambitious. The whole health care issue showcases the Grand Canyon-like divide opened up among the electorate," said Quinnipiac's Peter Brown. "Consider this disparity: 68 percent of Democrats say they back the pending legislation, compared to 9 percent of Republicans and 26 percent of independents."

The Pew survey underlined the intensity of the opposition to the health care proposals. Three-quarters of those who oppose them do so "very strongly" compared to 59 percent of those who support the changes very strongly. Seventy-nine percent of Republicans are against the bills, with 65 percent of them opposing them very strongly. By contrast, Pew characterized Democrat support for the legislation -- at 63 percent -- as "tepid," with fewer than half that number supporting an overhaul very strongly.

As other health care polls have consistently shown, most Americans see no personal advantage for themselves if health care legislation passes. Twenty-one percent or less believe that if the legislation is approved care will get better when it comes to out-of-pocket costs, quality, choice of doctors and hospitals, and wait time for appointments. A larger percentage (39 percent) believe the legislation will make things better when it comes to getting coverage if a person has a pre-existing condition and 33 percent believe the reform proposals would help them get coverage if they changed or lost a job. But majorities on each of these areas say things will stay the same or get worse.

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