How incoherent was the Nov. 6 election result? Try this. A 54% majority now does not think that it is the government’s responsibility to make sure that all Americans have healthcare coverage. But a smaller majority just backed the president who rammed a one-size-fits-all healthcare regime through into law. A larger majority than either of these (56%) opposed ObamaCare when it was passed.
For the first time in Gallup trends since 2000, a majority of Americans say it is not the federal government’s responsibility to make sure all Americans have healthcare coverage. Prior to 2009, a majority always felt the government should ensure healthcare coverage for all, though Americans’ views have become more divided in recent years.
The current results are based on Gallup’s annual Health and Healthcare poll, conducted Nov. 15-18 this year.
The shift away from the view that the government should ensure healthcare coverage for all began shortly after President Barack Obama’s election and has continued the past several years during the discussions and ultimate passage of the Affordable Care Act in March 2010. Americans are divided on that legislation today — 48% approve and 45% disapprove — as they have been over the last several years.
Republicans, including Republican-leaning independents, are mostly responsible for the drop since 2007 in Americans’ support for government ensuring universal health coverage. In 2007, 38% of Republicans thought the government should do so; now, 12% do. Among Democrats and Democratic leaners there has been a much smaller drop, from 81% saying the government should make sure all Americans are covered in 2007 to 71% now.
So, about 71% of Democrats subscribe to socializing healthcare coverage, and the rest of us are forced to go along with them, despite the fact that a majority oppose what the Democrats believe in and do.
The left still doesn’t hold anything like a majority on its long-term goal:
One thing that has not changed is that Americans still widely prefer a system based on private insurance to one run by the government. Currently, 57% prefer a private system and 36% a government-run system, essentially the same as in 2010 and 2011. Prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, the percentage of Americans in favor of a government-run system ranged from 32% to 41%.
But thanks to unpopular ObamaCare, we’re bound to get to the left’s long-term goal anyway.
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