Poll: Obama Gets Strong Support -Health care nugget.

Poll: Obama Gets Strong Support - WSJ.com:

"On health care, the poll flashed warning signs for the administration.

"Forty-nine percent said they were willing to pay higher taxes so that everyone can have health insurance, compared with 66% who said the same in March 1993, when President Bill Clinton was embarking on his ultimately unsuccessful health-reform effort. That underscores why the administration is focused on cutting costs, not covering the uninsured."

My take is twofold. First, Americans are paying such a large percentage of household income on health care now, 17% according to Len Nichols at New America, that perhaps they can't imagine paying more than 17%. I often wonder how people think about this question: Do they think, "Hmm, would I be willing to pay my 17% AND more in taxes" and answer "No," or do they think, "Hmm, the 17% of my income that goes to health care and my taxes go up some uncertain amount," and answer "Yes?" (Or maybe they answer "no," too.)

Or, perhaps they are picking up on the conversations we are having in the health care reform debate and take us at our word. That is, many of us routinely point out that if we truly reform health care, we should eventually be able to spend less overall. If we are right, perhaps consumers are beginning to catch on and realize we might actually end up spending less in the long run and they shouldn't be expected to pay more of our GDP on health care.

But that would require a lot of average people paying quite a bit of attention...

I can dream, can't I?

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