Majority of Adults Back Health Insurance Mandates, Survey Finds
About 68% of U.S. adults support a requirement that all residents obtain health insurance with government subsidies for those who cannot afford coverage, according to a survey released on Tuesday by the Commonwealth Fund, Reuters reports.
The survey -- conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International between June 6, 2007, and Oct. 24, 2007 -- included responses from 3,501 adults in the continental U.S.
According to the survey, 80% of Democrats support a health insurance mandate, compared with 52% of Republicans and 68% of independents. Commonwealth Fund Vice President Sara Collins said, "It is a significant issue as the number of uninsured people climbs every year and more and more middle-class people are affected."
Among Democratic presidential candidates, health care proposals from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) would require all residents to obtain health insurance, and a proposal from Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) would require coverage only for children. None of the health care proposals from Republican presidential candidates includes a health insurance mandate (Reuters, 1/15).
Summaries of recent broadcast coverage related to the 2008 presidential election appear below.
- Candidates and health coverage: NPR's "Morning Edition" on Monday examined health care proposals from presidential candidates and what type of coverage the candidates themselves have and offer to their campaign workers. Marilyn Moon, director of the health program at the American Institutes for Research, comments on candidates' plans (Rovner, "Morning Edition," NPR, 1/14). Audio and a partial transcript of the segment, as well as expanded NPR coverage, are available online.
- Health care proposals: NPR's "All Things Considered" on Monday examined the potential effects on the health system of proposals from Republican and Democratic candidates. The segment includes comments from Drew Altman, president and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation, and Joseph Antos, president of the American Enterprise Institute (Rovner, "All Things Considered," NPR, 1/14). Audio and a partial transcript of the segment are available online.