Overwhelmingly, Americans approve of President-elect Barack Obama. We approve of his transition into office, we approve of his cabinet picks so far, and we have a very favorable opinion of him.
There’s one thing that unfortunately lags behind: the chances of health care and insurance reform.
Only 4 in 10 Americans believe Obama can provide all Americans with health care and/or health insurance, reported the Los Angeles Times.
So we’re not confident that an Obama Administration can deliver on its promise of providing access to health care for all.
What does that mean? Why don’t we think Obama can make good on his health care promise?
Maybe it’s because the economy is in such dire straits, there’s no possible way we can tackle health reform. Even more, the economy is obviously the priority over health care.
Not so fast, says the president-elect.
“[Health reform] has to be intimately woven into our overall economic recovery plan. It’s not something that we can sort of put off because we’re in an emergency. This is part of the emergency, ” said Obama in a press conference today, officially announcing former Senator Tom Daschle as his choice for Health and Humans Services Secretary.
Another reason Americans might not be sold on the idea of health insurance and health care for all is the widely rejected effort in the early 1990s by President Bill Clinton.
We could be judging based on past experiences.
But times have changed. These days, just about everyone agrees that the health care system is broken, Democrats have control of Washington, and the health insurance industry has even thrown its support for nationally mandated coverage.
What do you think?