Nashville Forum Discusses Candidates' Health Plans; Poll Finds Many Voters Like Neither Candidate's Plan
Addressing racial disparities in health care coverage and access should be a key element of the next president's health care reform program, according to local political, community, academic and business leaders who met to discuss the issue on the eve of the second presidential debate in Nashville.
A recent poll indicates, however, that many voters don't see either Democrat Barack Obama's, or Republican John McCain's, health reform plans as better for them.
The Nashville briefing was convened by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a Washington-based think tank that focuses on the concerns of African Americans and communities of color, in the wake of its recent report comparing the health care proposals of the two presidential candidates and the implications of such plans for minorities.
Health reform is expected to be a topic of Tuesday night's debate between McCain and Obama. The two candidates have been exchanging barbs on the topic.
"Racial and ethnic disparities in access to health care are persistent and troubling. Eliminating them will require our nation to address the social and economic dynamics that influence and determine health in our communities," says Joint Center President and CEO Ralph Everett. "To do that, we need to ensure that state and local leaders from across the nation become active and engaged in this task and that the presidential platforms for health care are fully discussed and understood, and that is why we are here in Nashville today."
A recent poll finds that 4 in 10 registered voters don't believe one candidate's health care plan would be better for them than the other. (This includes those who think there wouldn't be a difference for them between the plans (27 percent) and those who don't know if there would be (13 percent)). More voters think Obama's plan would be better for them than McCain's plan (33 percent vs. 27 percent). The survey was conducted Sept. 17-21, by telephone among a national cross section of 935 registered voters in the United States.
The poll was conducted by Harvard Public Opinion Research Program at the Harvard School of Public Health and Harris Interactive.
"The most interesting finding is not that Obama does better than McCain (Obama has a more substantial lead in other polls about which candidate is better at handling health care), but that Obama's lead is narrower on these questions that focus on how the plans would affect them personally," says Humphrey Taylor, chairman of The Harris Poll. "These are not bad results for the McCain campaign."
Among several critical voting groups, many don't see one plan as offering an advantage to them over the other. Among independents, a majority either see no difference in whether the two candidates' health care plans would be better for them or don't know if there would be a difference (51 percent). Those who do feel there would be a difference are split in a statistical tie (26 percent for McCain vs. 24 percent for Obama). Among seniors, a near majority see no difference or don't know which plan would be better for them (46 percent), and those who do see a difference are also tied (27 percent vs. 27 percent).
"Ultimately independents are the key to winning this race, and at the moment they are up for grabs in terms of whether they see McCain's plan or Obama's plan as better for them," says Robert Blendon, professor of health policy and political analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Watch more breaking news now on our video feed:
Bookmark http://onthehillblog.blogspot.com/ and drop back in for more news from the nation's capital.
A recent poll indicates, however, that many voters don't see either Democrat Barack Obama's, or Republican John McCain's, health reform plans as better for them.
The Nashville briefing was convened by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a Washington-based think tank that focuses on the concerns of African Americans and communities of color, in the wake of its recent report comparing the health care proposals of the two presidential candidates and the implications of such plans for minorities.
Health reform is expected to be a topic of Tuesday night's debate between McCain and Obama. The two candidates have been exchanging barbs on the topic.
"Racial and ethnic disparities in access to health care are persistent and troubling. Eliminating them will require our nation to address the social and economic dynamics that influence and determine health in our communities," says Joint Center President and CEO Ralph Everett. "To do that, we need to ensure that state and local leaders from across the nation become active and engaged in this task and that the presidential platforms for health care are fully discussed and understood, and that is why we are here in Nashville today."
A recent poll finds that 4 in 10 registered voters don't believe one candidate's health care plan would be better for them than the other. (This includes those who think there wouldn't be a difference for them between the plans (27 percent) and those who don't know if there would be (13 percent)). More voters think Obama's plan would be better for them than McCain's plan (33 percent vs. 27 percent). The survey was conducted Sept. 17-21, by telephone among a national cross section of 935 registered voters in the United States.
The poll was conducted by Harvard Public Opinion Research Program at the Harvard School of Public Health and Harris Interactive.
"The most interesting finding is not that Obama does better than McCain (Obama has a more substantial lead in other polls about which candidate is better at handling health care), but that Obama's lead is narrower on these questions that focus on how the plans would affect them personally," says Humphrey Taylor, chairman of The Harris Poll. "These are not bad results for the McCain campaign."
Among several critical voting groups, many don't see one plan as offering an advantage to them over the other. Among independents, a majority either see no difference in whether the two candidates' health care plans would be better for them or don't know if there would be a difference (51 percent). Those who do feel there would be a difference are split in a statistical tie (26 percent for McCain vs. 24 percent for Obama). Among seniors, a near majority see no difference or don't know which plan would be better for them (46 percent), and those who do see a difference are also tied (27 percent vs. 27 percent).
"Ultimately independents are the key to winning this race, and at the moment they are up for grabs in terms of whether they see McCain's plan or Obama's plan as better for them," says Robert Blendon, professor of health policy and political analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Watch more breaking news now on our video feed:
Bookmark http://onthehillblog.blogspot.com/ and drop back in for more news from the nation's capital.
Labels: Barack Obama, debate, election, health care, health coverage, John McCain, Nashville, poll
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