Potomac Fever: Public opinion on the public option

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Holly said...: I like this article because it combats the serial misuse and manipulation of polling data (or any data)to garner political support. It draws attention to the fact that as media consumers we should be wary of statistics until we know their context and inherent bias. However, while I agree that the public is very confused about the actual policies behind the public plan, I do not think that simply because 63% of the public supported the public plan and a majority also said they'd "prefer" private insurance is such an alarming contradiction. The public plan would regulate private insurance in order to ensure more coverage and lower costs, but of course many consumers will still prefer private insurance. The public plan would give more people insurance, but those who could chose may want to avoid a gov't run option -- and that's fine, right? It seems as though this writer has perhaps fallen into the same trap he's trying to warn us about? Bottom Line: The public must be informed of reform policies so that more accurate polls can lead policy makers to popular solutions.; September 8, 2009 at 10:46 AM