CodeBlueNow! Survey Shows Most Americans Agree on Basic Tenets of Health Care Reform |
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Written by U.S. Insurance News
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Monday, 10 March 2008 |
Common ground may be the toughest piece of real estate to find in politics.
But CodeBlueNow!, a nonprofit health care reform group, claims it has found some-on the tough subject of health care reform, no less.
CodeBlueNow! commissioned Gilmore Research Group in Seattle, Wash., to conduct a survey of residents of two states, Iowa and Washington. The survey showed widespread agreement among Republicans, Democrats, and Independents in these disparate states on four key topics: the need for universal coverage; that basic benefit packages should include many licensed health care professionals, not just medical doctors; the need of preventive care over high-tech cures; and that health care is a shared responsibility among the individual, employer, and the government.
"The level of agreement we see between voters in Iowa and Washington, and the relatively low level of 'neutral' or 'don't know' responses to specific questions, suggests that health care is an issue voters have pondered for some time," said Carol Ambruso, vice president of the Gilmore Research Group. "They are keenly aware of how a decade of rapidly rising health care costs has impacted access to care for themselves, friends, family members, and for the community as a whole."
The research shows strong aggregate agreement on key issues, including universal coverage. While there are some party differences, 70 percent of the Independents agree on the need for universal coverage, strongly siding with the Democrats on this issue.
Kathleen O'Connor, founder and CEO of CodeBlueNow!, says the findings about Independents are particularly interesting in this election year because they are seen as a key voting group for the presidential candidates.
"The key is Independents. They shift back and forth between Republicans and Democrats depending on the issue," O'Connor said. "This means we have the chance to have a safe, problem-solving conversation that won't explode in our faces. We Americans have more in common than we are told."
Four former governors serve on the honorary board for CodeBlueNow!, including former Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson (R). Carlson believes the survey shows the time is ripe for a health care platform that voters of all political persuasion will embrace.
"Given this concurrence on some core values, and the swings between the parties, we believe it is time and more than possible to shape a nonpartisan vision and create a Voters' Health Care Platform that the majority of Americans can and would support," Carlson said.
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