U.S. Residents Question Health Care Reform Efforts

A majority of U.S. adults lack confidence in the ability of the Bush administration to reform the U.S. health care system, according to a recent Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive poll, the Wall Street Journal Online reports.

The online poll, conducted from Feb. 23 through Feb. 27, included responses from 2,426 U.S. residents ages 18 and older. According to the poll, about three-fourths of respondents said that they lack confidence in the ability of President Bush to control U.S. health care costs or reduce their out-of-pocket health care expenses.

In addition, the poll finds that about 30% of respondents had confidence in the administration's ability to develop policies to improve the U.S. health care system. About 80% of Democratic respondents had confidence in the ability of their party to develop policies to improve the U.S. health care system, and 67% of Republican respondents had confidence in the ability of their party to develop such policies, the poll finds (Bright, Wall Street Journal Online, 3/7).