Poll shows more Californians favoring single-payer health care
Tom Chorneau
San Francisco Chronicle
Sacramento Bureau
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
(08-22) 04:00 PDT Sacramento — - As voter dissatisfaction with the state’s health care system grows, increasing interest is emerging in moving to a state-run, single-payer program, according to a Field Poll released today.
For years, a single-payer system had been the favorite of a small but loyal minority, but the new poll shows that 36 percent of California voters now favor replacing the current employer-based system with one operated by the state - a jump of 12 percent since December.
Meanwhile, the number of voters who want to make reforms within the framework of the current system has dropped from 52 percent in December to 33 percent in August.
“This is a clear signal that people want change,” said Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access, a Sacramento consumer group that supports both a single-payer proposal and legislation aimed at reforming the current system.
“What you have here is two-thirds of California saying they want a major expansion of group coverage,” he said. “People are looking for reform, and they want the government to make the system fair.”
The poll findings were drawn from telephone interviews with 536 randomly selected registered voters during the 10-day period ending Aug. 12. It has a sampling error of plus or minus 41/2 percentage points.
Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll, said there’s a strong relationship between voters being dissatisfied with the current system and their interest in alternatives.
“The message from the governor and legislators that the system is broken has sunk in,” he said. “Back in December, people had a mixed view of the system and were less interested in change.
“Now we have more people with a very negative viewpoint.”
In December, DiCamillo pointed out, the poll found 51 percent of voters were satisfied with the way health care worked in California, with 44 percent dissatisfied.
Today, only 28 percent said they are satisfied with health care in California and 69 percent are dissatisfied. He also noted that the number of voters who said they are very dissatisfied has more than doubled since December - from 20 percent to 42 percent.
While the numbers give supporters of single-payer a boost, advocates of less-drastic change said voters will not support a government-run system.
“There’s no question that people continue to be concerned about the high cost of health care and are worried about getting and keeping insurance,” said Vince Sollitto, spokesman for the California Chamber of Commerce. “But turning over health care to the same government that brought you the Department of Motor Vehicles and the post office isn’t the way to go, and most Californians agree with that.”
Chuck Idelson, spokesman for the California Nurses Association, which is a strong supporter of a single-payer system, said the Field Poll findings are similar to recent national polls that show growing support for single-payer.
“People want real reform, not phony reforms,” he said.
The Field Poll also found growing voter skepticism that the Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will come to an agreement on a health care overhaul this year - 58 percent said it was unlikely.
Schwarzenegger introduced a $12-billion plan in January aimed at covering all Californians, but he’s made little progress in selling it to the Legislature.
The governor’s plan relies on sharing the cost of coverage extensions to 6.5 million uninsured residents within the existing system - an approach that has lost support among voters since December, according to Field.
Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear said the poll numbers show that Californians overwhelmingly see the need for health care reform. “As we educate the public on the merits and problems of single-payer, we are confident that our proposal will be supported,” he said.
E-mail Tom Chorneau at tchorneau@sfchronicle.com.