Poll shows 3rd District favors single-payer health care

A new poll sponsored by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee shows the 3rd Congressional District may be more disposed to a single-payer plan as part of health care reform than anyone suspected.

Voters were asked whether they favored or opposed the reform bill passed by the U.S. Senate in December — a bill that lacked a public option. Just 39 percent of 3rd District residents said they favored the Senate bill, while 54 percent opposed it and 7 percent were undecided.

In a follow-up question, voters were asked whether they would favor or oppose “the national government offering everyone the choice of buying into a government-administered health insurance plan — something like the Medicare coverage that people 65 and older get — that would compete with private health insurance plans.” A whopping 66 percent favored the idea; 24 percent opposed it, and 10 percent were undecided.

Opinions in the 3rd District closely tracked those statewide.

The poll, conducted by the national polling firm Research 2000, sampled the views of 600 likely voters in Washington from Feb. 18 through Feb. 20. If anything, the sample was skewed toward Independents and “Other.” Statewide, they made up 39 percent of the sample, with 35 percent identifying themselves as Democrats and 26 percent as Republicans.

Kathie Durbin