Post Obama Speech Poll Numbers

Source- Washington Post/ ABC News

According to a Washington Post/ ABC News Poll President Obama continues to face some public resistance to his drive to initiate far-reaching changes to the country's health-care system, with widespread skepticism about central tenets of his plan, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Earlier, Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), who has been seeking a bipartisan compromise, urged the president to abandon the so-called public option. "It's universally opposed by all Republicans in the Senate," she said on CBS's "Face the Nation." "And therefore, there's no (bi-partisan) way to pass a plan that includes the public option."

Here are some numbers in polling done immediately after the President's speech.

The idea of reform:
Americans remain almost deadlocked in their opinion of the Democrats' health-care initiative, with 46 percent in favor of the proposed changes and 48 percent opposed.

Individual Mandate: The public also divides about evenly -- 51 percent in favor, 47 percent against -- on the question of whether people should be required to have health insurance, a central element of the plans under consideration.

The public option: This is the major point of contention
55 percent say they like the idea, but the notion continues to attract intense objection: If that single provision were removed, opposition to the overall package drops by six percentage points, according to the poll.

Without the public option, 50 percent back the rest of the proposed changes; a still sizable 42 percent are opposed. Independents divide 45-45 on a package without the government-sponsored insurance option, while they are largely negative on the entire set of proposals (40 percent support and 52 percent oppose). Republican opposition also fades 20 points under this scenario.

The politics of the idea would also probably change dramatically depending on its scope: If it were limited to only those unable to get private insurance, support would rise to 76 percent.


More than seven in 10 Americans, including majorities across party lines, say they think Obama and congressional Democrats should adjust the health-care legislation to appeal to some Republican lawmakers. Half credit the Democrats with making a good-faith effort to do so already, while most, 62 percent, say the GOP is not returning the favor.

There is, however, less backing for the idea of a new tax on insurance companies that offer high-cost, big benefit health plans; 45 percent of Americans favor such a levy, and support plummets if it is suggested that companies would have to raise fees for those policies as a result.

Cut to the Chase: Above it all, Fifty-three percent now call government action essential, while 44 percent see it as doing more harm than good.