Guess what’s making a huge comeback despite Democratic attempts to run it into the ground? No, not George Bush. I’m talking about the US healthcare system.
I guess I shouldn’t say “despite” when “because” seems a lot more appropriate. The 20-point comeback seems to coincide rather well with the progressive full-court press to denigrate our current system that started during the Presidential campaign.
There are a couple interesting things in this poll beyond the big numbers.
First, it appears that universal care isn’t the priority for the American people that the progressive left says it is. Even among Democrats, universal care was seen as the top priority by only 30% of respondents. Indeed, universal care (which is impossible, in both theory and reality) was blown away by the issue of cost.
Second, none of the groups want a complete overhaul of the system. As Ed says,
Clearly, though, there is little appetite for an overhaul of the system. In every partisan demographic, that option gains 15% or less support. And the more ObamaCare is seen as an overhaul than a reform, the worse it looks.
Speaking of which, government-run health care is looking to be a pretty deadly proposition over in Britain. And the government has admitted it has no good idea how many people are dying each year because of sub-standard NHS care. The number runs as high as 400 in just two hospitals (via Instapundit). I suspect that the slow collapse of Britain’s government-run system, which has been used as a model for what Obamacare should be, is making our system, even with its flaws, look pretty darned good.
Two more things. If you’re inclined to look over the 2,000-page Senate monstrosity of a health care bill, the very best place to do that is at Open Congress. They have divided the bill such that you can link to individual bits or comment on sections rather than deal with the entire bill all in one big gulp. I’ve used the site quite a bit in the past and found it to be very user-friendly. I recommend it highly. Also, if you’re curious about what path Obamacare will take over the next few months, Top of the Ticket has a very good quick guide you’ll find useful. I don’t necessarily agree with the timeline (I think a final vote, assuming the filibuster is broken every time, won’t happen until March at the earliest), but it’s good work.
Tags: Britain, National Health Care
