HARRIS POLL: Democrats Champion Health Care, Voters Say
Health care continues to top the list of major political concerns in the upcoming election, according to a new Harris poll revealing that 75% of all surveyed adults do not believe that "most people in this country get the health and medical care they need." The poll also found that 64% of all adults contend that "as a country, we could afford to provide everyone with all the health and medical services they need." Thirty percent, however, maintain that such a plan would "cost more than we can afford." Of 1,002 adults surveyed between Sept. 8 and 17, 781 of whom are "likely voters," 50% believed that Vice President Al Gore would "do a better job of moving us to a system where almost everyone could afford to get the health and medical services they needed," versus 31% who argue that rival Texas Gov. George W. Bush (R) is the stronger candidate on the issue. Among the likely voters, the numbers shift to 53% in favor of Gore and 30% in support of Bush. In addition, 54% of all adults and 55% of likely voters believed that a Democratically controlled Congress could better move Americans to an accessible and affordable health care system, compared to 29% of all adults and 30% of likely voters who favored a Republican Congress to make this transition. Harris Poll Chair Humphrey Taylor concluded: "As of now, the Democrats are getting the better of the debate on health care." The results have a statistical precision of 95%, plus or minus three percentage points (Harris Poll release, 9/27).
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